August 09, (THEWILL) – Monday’s update of infection cases released by the Olympics’ organisers in Tokyo, Japan showed an increase by 28 of Games-related COVID-19 infections. This brings the total number of coronavirus cases during the entire Summer Games to 458 based on information regularly updated on their website.
As high a daily rate at 28 was, it still was below the August 5 update that confirmed the highest number of cases at 31 for the period covering daily case updates starting from July 1. That was when Games organisers entered the final stage of preparations as athletes and support staff began to arrive in Tokyo.
As part of the determination of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to have a safe and worry-free environment for the Games happening during a global pandemic, very strict health and safety protocols were implemented and enforced throughout.
The assurance of fielding only non-infected athletes and keeping anyone with the faintest contact isolated saw them conduct more than 650,000 coronavirus tests during the Olympics and the preparatory stage. Out of that number only 0.02% turned out positive, as a huge success for the organisers.
However, the case outside the Olympics in Tokyo is not getting better. As THEWILL reported, the city was placed under a state of emergency which began before the opening ceremony and stretched to the end to force the Games to hold without spectators.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has now extended this state of emergency until August 31 due to Tokyo’s worsening epidemiological situation. This will make the state of emergency again be in effect when the 2020 Summer Paralympics begin on August 24.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
