25th June, 2021
A coach in the Ugandan Olympic team who tested positive for the coronavirus upon arrival in Japan had the Delta variant, Japan’s Olympics minister said on Friday.
The coach’s positive test has added to concern the Games – less than a month away – may trigger a new wave of infections.
According to Reuters, the coach who is a member of Uganda’s delegation tested positive after arriving in Japan on Saturday.
A second member, an athlete, tested positive on Wednesday after arriving in the team’s host city of Izumisano, officials said previously.
Olympics Minister Tamayo Marukawa told a news conference that the person who arrived on Saturday had been found to have the highly infectious Delta variant.
He said an analysis was also being conducted on the second confirmed case, NHK public TV reported.
Marukawa said she would consult other ministries and liaise with those on the ground about what steps were needed, NHK said.
The handling of the case has sparked criticism from local officials and experts, and fuelled concerns about what lies ahead.
Although one member tested positive for the virus at the airport, the rest travelled to the host town in a bus, accompanied by three city officials, an Izumisano official said.
Those people were only designated “close contacts” days later.
Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura told reporters that Olympics delegations should be held at or near the airport if a member tested positive upon arrival. Izumisano city is in Osaka prefecture.
“It would be tough to apply this to the general public but with athletes’ groups it’s clear” they are close contacts, he said. “I think we should learn from this case as we head into the Games in earnest.”