Olympic athletes who exhibit mild symptoms of Covid-19 in Tokyo could be isolated in hundreds of hotel rooms near the Athletes’ Village, according to reports.
Competitors — and staff members — who don’t need to be hospitalised would fall under this category.
Organisers are preemptively working to secure 300 rooms in a hotel, reported Japanese news agency Kyodo on Sunday, citing unnamed officials.
The reports arrive in the run-up to the Olympics kick-ff on July 23, despite 80 per cent of Japanese respondents — polled in January by Kyodo News — preferring a cancellation or postponement of the event.
Foreign fans have been banned from attending the event, but the Olympics and Paralympics will still welcome approximately 15,00 athletes from 200 nations and territories, according to AP News. The maximum capacity for the Olympics venues have not yet been revealed.
Stricter measures and fines
According to the Japan Times, stricter Covid-19 measures — including a potential 8pm curfew for F&B establishments — are being applied in Tokyo, Kyota and Okinawa. Those who don’t comply with the early closure orders could be slapped with a ¥200,000 (Dh6,698) fine.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga approved tighter restrictions in the face of variant strains of the virus that could wreak havoc on society.
“After consulting with experts, we’ve decided to implement the measures in Tokyo, Kyoto and Okinawa considering that the number of new cases is increasing and there is a concern that medical resources would be stretched thin,” said Suga to the press on Friday.
Japan Times also reported that the country would begin administering the Pfizer vaccine to elderly citizens — the secondary priority group after medical personnel — on Monday.
This is an estimated 36 million people, including those who will be turning 65 within a year.
