About 70 percent of the new cases were people in their 20s and 30s. Many are employees and customers of nightlife venues in Tokyo. Officials say they have confirmed clusters of infections in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district.

The metro government is concerned with the spread with the virus in such a way that customers will infect their homes or workplaces. But it is reluctant to ask for business closures and no effective measures are taken to deal with night life establishments.

At a press conference, Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko urged the public to avoid nightlife venues and crowded bars and restaurants to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The metropolitan government has created a four-color system to notify the public of the severity of the spread of infections and hospital capacity.

The colors are green, yellow, orange and red. The Red alert signifies the highest level of warning.

Officials say the current infection alert is at orange, while medical facilities are yellow.

A panel of medical experts have analyzed the situation to assess what steps need to be taken amid the growing number of new coronavirus cases.