Six Tokyo Olympic torch staffers diagnosed with COVID-19
Six people who helped with Japan’s Olympic Torch relay were diagnosed with COVID-19, bringing the total number of participants in the event who got the coronavirus to eight, organizers said.
The six people, who included a man in his 20s and another man in his 30s, helped on the relay in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima on April 27, Tokyo 2020 said in a statement late on Saturday.
Article continues after this advertisementAll of them assisted with traffic control and wore masks, with three of them doing so in the city of Amami and the other three in the city of Kirishima, said the organizers.
Earlier last month, two other people who helped with the torch relay on the southern island of Shikoku were diagnosed with COVID-19, including a police officer in his 30s who guided traffic in Kagawa prefecture.
The Tokyo 2020 organizers urged people to comply with COVID-19 guidelines.
Article continues after this advertisementJapanese authorities are determined to protect Games participants and a local population that opinion surveys have shown is largely opposed to the Olympics due to fears the event will lead to more COVID-19 infections.
Japan last month declared a COVID-19 state of emergency for the major population centers of Tokyo and Osaka and two other areas set to last until May 11 to contain a fourth wave of infections.
The Games, delayed by a year because of the pandemic, are scheduled to open on July 23.
RELATED STORIES
Tokyo Olympics torch relay gets underway in Fukushima’s shadow
Joy, delay and torch relay: Tokyo’s turbulent Olympic timeline
For more news about the novel coronavirus click here.
What you need to know about Coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare frontliners and is still accepting cash donations to be deposited at Banco de Oro (BDO) current account #007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this link.