Photo/Illutration Two girls wearing face masks as protection against the new coronavirus use a portable fan to provide relief from the heat in Tokyo on Aug. 5. (AP Photo)

Tokyo logged 263 new coronavirus cases on Aug. 5, the ninth straight day the figure being above 200, metropolitan health officials said, noting an alarming trend in recent days of infections within families.

Thirty-one of the 309 newly confirmed COVID-19 patients registered on Aug. 4 were those who became infected within a family.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged residents to be extra vigilant against transmitting the disease to elderly family members.

“People should be careful about spewing droplets on chopsticks and glasses during meals, particularly those who are living with elderly people,” Koike told reporters on Aug. 5.

Tokyo is experiencing a surge in new cases. On July 31, the capital registered 463 cases, a record. But that was topped the following day with a new single-day high of 472.

The seven-day average has exceeded 300 since August began.

In an effort to slow the spread of the virus, the metropolitan government requested restaurants and karaoke parlors that serve alcohol to close at 10 p.m. through Aug. 31 from Aug. 3.

It will provide 200,000 yen ($1,886) in relief aid to small and midsize operators that fully comply with the request.

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