In Japan, the incidence of coronavirus is on the rise, and the organizers of the Olympic Games are trying to allay public concern about hosting such a large event.
Less than ten weeks remain until the opening of the Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed due to a pandemic last year, on July 23, but a state of emergency has been declared in part due to the outbreak of the Japanese virus, and most people want to postpone or cancel the Games.
Bach had planned to visit Tokyo this week, but the visit was postponed due to measures to limit the spread of the virus.
In a video call to the game organizers and Japanese officials, the IOC president said: “The most important principle is very clear: the Olympic Village is a safe place and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held safely.”
He announced that 75% of the residents of the Olympic village would have received the Covid-19 vaccine before the start of the Games. Bach admitted that vaccination coverage in the Olympic village would “well exceed 80%”.
Although the organizers have announced strict measures to curb the spread of the virus, including banning the arrival of foreign fans for the first time in the history of games, public health concerns are high.
Japan is experiencing a fourth wave of Covid-19 proliferation, and two doctors’ associations have warned in recent days that the health care system is already overburdened, but the Olympics could increase workload.
The IOC President has indicated that delegations to the National Olympic Committees will have additional medical staff to support the provision of Covid-19 containment measures in the Olympic Village and Olympic venues.
Bach cited as a positive example other world sports competitions that have not caused widespread outbreaks of the virus, as well as recent pilot events in Japan with international athletes. Athletes had to follow strict safety measures: quarantine, daily testing, no use of public transport and virtually no contact with the local population.
Seiko Hashimoto, chairman of the Tokyo Olympic Games Organizing Committee, said vaccinating the participants “would be a great help in organizing safe games”.
In Japan, the country’s vaccination process is being criticized as slow. Only the Covid-19 vaccine, developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, has been approved in the country, and so far only health care workers and seniors are being vaccinated in Japan, and it is not known when more extensive vaccinations could be launched.
The Tokyo Olympics will take place from July 23 to August 8.
–
