TOKYO, July 17 (Reuters) – Tokyo Olympics organisers on Saturday reported the first case of COVID-19 at the athletes’ village, along with 14 other new cases connected to the Games which begin next week, raising fresh doubts over promises of a “safe and secure” event.
Organisers confirmed that a visitor from abroad who was working for the Olympics tested positive in a routine check on Friday. The person’s nationality was not revealed due to privacy concerns.
The other cases included two members of the media, seven contractors and five Games personnel.
The case at the athletes’ village, a 44-hectare site built on Tokyo’s waterfront, is particularly worrying as a majority of the 11,000 competitors will be staying there.
Originally intended to showcase Japan’s recovery from its 2011 earthquake and nuclear disaster, the Tokyo Olympics has become an exercise in damage limitation.
Postponed for a year due to the global pandemic, it is being held mostly without spectators and under tight quarantine rules. Most athletes are starting to arrive for the Games, which run from July 23 through Aug. 8.
The Japanese public has been wary about hosting the Games amida resurgence in new coronavirus infections and worries that an influx of visitors may create a super-spreader event, straining an already-stretched medical system.
Only around 20% of the population is fully vaccinated.
