Two athletes staying at the Olympic Village in Tokyo, Japan have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The two received positive results on a routine COVID-19 test, the first to return with a COVID-19 diagnosis at the Games, which open this coming Friday.
Both of the athletes are non-Japanese but no identifying details were provided by the organizers.
However, South Africa confirmed Sunday that two of its soccer athletes received positive COVID-19 test results, as did its video analyst who tested positive on arrival in Tokyo.
Israel’s delegation to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo this year is comprised of 89 athletes – the largest Israeli delegation to the Olympic Games in the country’s history – including Israel’s first-ever Olympic Baseball team. Israel will also debut in surfing, archery and equestrian competitions.
Israel Urges Citizens Not to Travel Abroad
Even though spectators are banned at the Games this year – due to skyrocketing COVID-19 cases in Japan — Health Ministry Director-General Professor Nachman Ash urged Israelis on Sunday to avoid traveling abroad anywhere, if possible.
“We will tighten control over travel policy in the coming weeks,” Ash told reporters. “We will look at how to expand our protection against any variant from overseas.”
Ash warned that the recent nationwide surge in coronavirus infections – nearly all of them due to the Delta variant – “might get worse.
“We are tracking the data and are preparing to deal with a number of issues, including the opening of the school year, to bring back a sense of routine to our lives despite the surging infections,” Ash said.
