The first case of coronavirus was detected in the Olympic Village in Tokyo – a few days before the Summer Olympics in the Japanese capital, world agencies reported with reference to BTA.
The organizing committee of the Olympics announced today that one person has a positive result. They did not provide further details.
According to media reports, the infected person is a member of an unspecified foreign delegation and is not an athlete.
The organizing committee also announced that a total of 15 people associated with the Olympics had tested positive for coronavirus. These are seven employees of Olympic venues, two journalists and six people involved in the competition. Among the latter is the first case of coronavirus in the Olympic Village.
The news heightens concerns about last year’s Olympics, which were postponed due to a pandemic. Athletes are just starting to arrive for the games, which will begin on July 23 and last until August 8.
The organizers assured that they take all necessary precautions. Upon arrival in Japan, five athletes were isolated due to the coronavirus.
Public sentiment in Japan against the Olympics is growing amid rising new infections in its territory. There are fears that the influx of foreign tourists could significantly accelerate the spread of the coronavirus and further worsen Japan’s already strained health care system.
A state of emergency was declared in Tokyo on July 12 and will last until August 22. A record 1,308 new cases of coronavirus were registered in the Japanese capital on Thursday. Yesterday, 1,271 new infections were registered, compared to 822 last Friday.
In Japan, a country of 126 million people, more than 831,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic. More than 15,000 people died.