Tokyo's daily COVID cases cross 30,000 for first time in pandemic

FILE PHOTO: A woman wearing protective a face mask is seen at an open-air restaurant as the government declared the second state of emergency for the capital and some prefectures, amid coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan January 9, 2021. REUTERS/Issei Kato

New coronavirus cases in Japan's capital hit a record on Thursday, surging past 30,000 for the first time since the pandemic began, spurring officials to call for more vigilance.

Tokyo's 31,878 new infections far outstripped a previous high in February, and many other regions also reported highs. Thursday's national tally of 186,229 new infections was a record.