Staff at Japan hotel, hosting Brazilian Olympians, test positive for COVID

Ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics, at least eight staff members at a Japanese hotel hosting Brazil’s judo team have tested positive for COVID. Health officials said virus screenings were done before the team of around 30 members arrived at the hotel on Saturday. None of the infected individuals came in contact with the athletes.

“Only those who have proof of a negative test are working” with the judo team, said Yoshinobu Sawada, a sports official at the city.

“We explained to the team that only (healthy workers) are in the bubble. We think they have understood the situation and our counter-infection measures,” he told AFP.

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The news comes as Tokyo prepares to host the Olympic Games, which is set to take place from July 23 to August 8 mostly behind closed doors. Strict anti-infection measures have been placed on athletes, officials and journalists. Japan’s busy capital is currently under a virus state of emergency, with infections surging. It recorded 1,149 cases on Wednesday, the highest figure since January.

Olympic participants will be subject to strict virus rules and will be kept largely away from the Japanese public.

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Separately, a staff member with the Russian rugby sevens team was hospitalised after testing positive for COVID, an official in their host town Munakata in western Japan told AFP.

The team, comprising 16 athletes and 10 staff members, landed at a Tokyo airport on July 10. The members have had no close contact with local officials or residents since then.

The rest of the team is now quarantined in their accommodation. They will be able to resume training as early as Friday if they test negative. 

Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday that of over 8,000 people who arrived between July 1 and 13, just three tested positive after arrival and were isolated.

IOC chief Thomas Bach also pledged “not to bring any risk” to Japan with the Games, which open on July 23.