Ugandan athlete for Olympics tests Covid-19 positive in Japan

Tokyo, June 20 (EFE).- A member of the Uganda Olympic team has tested coronavirus positive at an airport quarantine station in Japan and was sent to a quarantine facility in Tokyo, authorities said on Sunday.

It is the first confirmed Covid-19 infection detected among foreign athletes and participants for the Games.

The Sudanese team was the second group of foreigners to arrive in Japan for the Olympics, which open July 23.

Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of the anti-pandemic efforts, told Japanese state broadcaster NHK that the authorities detected the infection after a plane carrying the nine-member Sudanese team touched down at Narita Airport near Tokyo on Saturday.

Citing officials, NHK said the players and staff were vaccinated before they came to Japan.

“But one member of the group tested positive for the coronavirus during a screening at the airport. That individual is staying at a government-designated facility,” it said.

The Ugandan athletes, who will stay at a training facility in Osaka, will participate in boxing, weightlifting, and swimming events.

The other eight members of the Ugandan group will be quarantined at other facilities, NHK said.

The athletes carried Covid-19 negative certificates issued 72 hours before their travel to Japan.

The athletes also underwent a double test for the virus after they arrived in Japanese territory. That is as per the strict anti-contagion guidelines imposed by the organizers.

Before the Ugandans, the Australian women’s softball squad arrived on June 1.

Foreign travelers to Japan require a two-week quarantine after their arrival.

But the authorities have exempted Olympic teams from such border controls if they test negative and comply with restrictions on their activities and travel.

The exemption will let them train and prepare for the Games.

The Tokyo Games will be held in a “bubble” format and will not have foreign spectators.

The government has limited the entrance of spectators in stadiums to a maximum of 10,000 people.

The organizing committee for the Games Friday said it planned to allow local spectators into stadiums despite Japanese medical experts advising against it.

The authorities will formalize the decision to allow spectators into stadiums on Monday. EFE

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