(Bloomberg) -- A member of a Tokyo Metropolitan Government coronavirus advisory panel of experts said it was now impossible to control the spread of Covid-19 in the capital.

The comments on behalf of the panel by Norio Omagari at a Thursday meeting with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike came as the city and national governments consider whether to extend a state of emergency in Tokyo, which is experiencing its worst-ever wave of virus cases. The emergency is currently set to be lifted at the end of August.

The imposition of successive states of emergency has become less effective over time, with many bars and restaurants ignoring instructions to close early and stop serving alcohol. An advisory panel to the national government has called for stronger measures, aimed at reducing the frequency of people’s outings in Tokyo by half compared with early July, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and other senior government officials have rejected the idea of European-style lockdowns to contain the virus, instead saying they are relying on the vaccine rollout, and tightening restrictions on who can be hospitalized.

Tokyo found 4,200 new cases of Covid-19 Wednesday after hitting a record 5,042 last Thursday, with the pace of infections appearing to level off. However, the number of patients in hospitals is continuing to hit records, putting the capital’s health care system under strain.

Japan’s central government is considering extending the state of emergency into September, and expanding it to more regions, the Sankei newspaper reported earlier Thursday.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.