People wearing face masks are seen next to the Olympic rings in front of the Japan Olympic Museum in Tokyo, Japan, February 26, 2020. (Photo: CGTN)

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizing committee told the press on Wednesday that it had stepped up its measures to protect the health of runners and spectators for the torch relay amid the coronavirus spread in the country.

These measures include limiting the number of visitors to venues and monitoring the runner's health, the committee said in a statement. 

The committee will review details of specific relay events based on the coronavirus infection status in each prefecture.

Japan's COVID-19 cases topped 1,000 on Wednesday, reaching 1,006 cases, with 706 reported from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.