Toshiro Muto, CEO of Tokyo 2020, stated that a foreign visitor involved in the Games’ organisation had tested positive. He refused to divulge the person’s nationality, citing concerns about privacy. The Tokyo Olympics registered its first Covid-19 case on Saturday, six days before the opening ceremony, when an individual tested positive in the athletes’ village, according to organisers. The Games are scheduled to start on July 23.
Toshiro Muto, CEO of Tokyo 2020, stated that a foreign visitor involved in the Games’ organisation had tested positive. He refused to divulge the person’s nationality, citing concerns about privacy. A press conference was held by Masa Takaya, a representative for the Tokyo organising committee. He said, “there was one person in the Village. That was the very first case in the Village that was reported during the screening test.”
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which were postponed by a year due to the global pandemic, are being hosted with few spectators and strict quarantine regulations. The chief organiser of the Tokyo 2020 Games, Seiko Hashimoto, said, “We are doing everything to prevent any Covid outbreaks. If we end up with an outbreak, we will make sure we have a plan in place to respond.”
The announcement comes just one day after IOC President Thomas Bach stated that the Games will pose no danger to the Japanese people. After meeting with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Bach informed reporters, “we are making all our efforts and the Japanese people have all our commitment to contribute in the best way to fight this virus and not to bring any risk to the Japanese people.”
Bach also stated that the majority of inhabitants in Tokyo’s Olympic Village had been vaccinated. He said, “this is why I’d like to humbly ask the Japanese people to warmly welcome the athletes from all around the world who have overcome, like the Japanese people, so many challenges.”