Shortly before the start of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, the organizers found 32 more corona cases. As the organizing committee reported on Wednesday, 15 people entering the country tested positive for the corona virus the day before. 17 infections were also found in people who had previously traveled to Beijing and were already in the closed Olympic bubble. Nine athletes or team members were among those reported infected on Wednesday. The total number of corona cases has risen to a total of 232 since January 23.
Despite the constant number of new corona cases before the Winter Games in Beijing, the IOC does not want to commit itself to a scenario of aborting the Olympics. “We don’t set any thresholds. It’s also not just regarding the numbers, it’s also regarding the extent to which cases within the bladder are related,” said Brian McCloskey, head of the Medical Expert Committee, on Wednesday. So far, there have been no related cases in the coronavirus bubble before the games started, the International Olympic Committee expert added.
A strict Corona security concept applies to the Winter Games. Everyone involved is completely segregated from the rest of the Chinese population. In order to quickly detect infections, everyone within the Olympic bubble must complete a daily PCR test.
Anyone who has contracted the virus will be isolated in a specially designated hotel. Only following two negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart can those affected leave before the end of ten days. After this period, only a negative PCR test is required. (dpa)
