Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks during a press conference at his official residence in Tokyo, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Suga declared the fourth state of emergency would go in effect on Monday and last through Aug. 22. This means the Olympics, opening on July 23 and running through Aug. 8, will be held entirely under emergency measures.

TOKYO — Fans will be banned from Tokyo-area stadiums and arenas when the Olympics begin in two weeks, the city's governor said Thursday after meeting with organizers of the pandemic-postponed games.

That means the Olympics will be a largely TV-only event, after the Japanese government put the capital under a COVID-19 state of emergency because of rising new infections and the highly contagious delta variant.

The declaration was made by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and the spectator ban was agreed to by Japanese Olympic organizers, the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, and the metropolitan government of Tokyo.

It was a serious blow for Japanese taxpayers and local organizers of the games. Hundreds of millions of dollars in ticket revenue will be lost, and that must be made up by the government.