BEIJING (AP) Over 30 of the athletes participating in Beijing’s Beijing Olympics are being held in isolation facilities after being tested positive for coronavirus, organizers said on Tuesday. The average time spent in isolation lasts seven days.
Beijing Games. “We will let as many athletes be released from insanity as possible but only the amount we can safely do,” said Brian McCloskey, chair of the medical expert committee for Beijing. McCloskey said that 50 athletes have been released and that most athletes in isolation are healthy and don’t require medical attention.
The announcement that 32 athletes were in isolation facilities comes after teams and athletes complained about food that is not edible clean rooms, contaminated food and an absence of equipment for training and internet connectivity. The organizers have acknowledged that being isolated is already a stressful situation for athletes, who are at risk of being unable to compete after many years of training, and stated they were trying to address any issues.
To stop spreading COVID-19, Beijing organizers have made it mandatory for all those in the Olympic bubble to perform daily PCR tests. People who test positive are sent to an isolation center until they are cleared to leave by a negative test. If they continue to be positive, they can also request an examination by a medical panel.
McCloskey pointed out that people who have been infected can remain positive for long periods, even if they’re not infectious. However, he added that previously infected individuals could be testing positive since they were infected again and maybe in a position to spread the virus.
“The problem is to differentiate between the two,” he said.
The organizers have said that they anticipate the number of positive cases to fall as new participants to the Olympic bubble recede as screening protocols are designed to identify the virus earlier and prevent the spread of the virus.
McCloskey said that the entire group is being assessed, and almost everyone has been vaccinated.
“I believe your likelihood of catching COVID within your closed loop will be lower than any other place on the planet,” he said.
As of now, there have been 393 positive instances within the Olympic bubble. Apart from athletes, this figure also includes journalists, officials, team officials, and others within the drop. More than 12,800 athletes have traveled from outside China to participate in the Olympics.
