TOKYO, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo reported 237 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, with the capital's cumulative total nearing the 10,000-mark as the city continues to grapple with rising infections.
A four-day weekend in the country is approaching, with the numbers of domestic travelers expected to soar.
The latest figure, which topped 200 for the first time in three days compared to 168 cases recorded on Monday, has pushed up the city's cumulative total to 9,816 COVID-19 cases.
Nationwide, 632 new infections were reported on Tuesday, pushing up the cumulative number of patients to around 26,476, not including those related to a cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama near Tokyo in February.
Since a state of emergency over the virus was completely lifted on May 25, the number of daily COVID-19 cases has been on the rise in the capital and nearby urban areas.
Officials have voiced concern about the rising cases in Tokyo's neighboring prefectures.
Japan's capital of 14 million has seen new daily cases in triple digits on all but two days in July, with a record 293 cases reported on July 17.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike told a press briefing on Tuesday that she may ask Tokyo residents not to cross prefectural lines during the upcoming four-day weekend beginning Thursday in a bid to prevent the further spread of the virus.
The metropolitan government on July 15, raised its alert for the pandemic to the highest on its four-tier scale meaning "infections are spreading."
Koike said that the metropolitan government had secured 2,400 hospital beds for the treatment of COVID-19 patients while highlighting that 950 beds were occupied amid the resurgence of the virus in the capital.
The number of people testing positive and requiring hospitalization has been on the rise since late last month, the metropolitan government's figures showed.
According to the latest figures Tuesday evening, following Tokyo, Osaka recorded 72 new daily cases to a cumulative total of 2,541 COVID-19 cases, Kanagawa added 30 to 2,037, while Saitama recorded 47 new cases to total 1,827. Enditem
