Games in Tokyo 2021
Tokyo (AP) – Japan wants to let as many foreign viewers as possible into the country for the Olympic Games, which have been postponed to next year due to corona.
A mask requirement should generally apply to all visitors and athletes, as can be seen from an interim report by the Japanese Olympic organizers on the planned corona measures presented on Wednesday. How many foreign viewers will ultimately be allowed into the country and into the arenas should be decided in the spring, said the managing director of the organizing committee, Toshiro Muto. Recently, reports about the development of corona vaccines have been increasing.
Manufacturers and politicians hope that they will be used this year. However, Japan’s Olympic organizers are planning to continue without a vaccine for the time being. The hosts of the games had also recently seen a significant increase in the number of corona infections in their own country, which threatens to overload the health system again. Japan is still doing well internationally.
According to the previous planning, foreign athletes must present a negative corona test that is not older than 72 hours upon entry. In addition, they should be tested every four to five days and leave shortly after their competitions, according to the organizers’ plans. The athletes’ village in Tokyo should be equipped with a sophisticated medical care system and only the shortest possible stay for the athletes should be allowed there. There are also numerous rules such as maintaining safety distances and wearing masks.
Practically every citizen in Japan wears a mask voluntarily. However, since the games take place in July and August, and thus in the hottest months in Japan, when there is usually extremely high humidity, you should also be careful about heat strokes when wearing face masks. Spectators arriving from countries with relatively low numbers of corona infections should be exempted from the two-week quarantine obligation in Japan. The foreign visitors are expected to be asked to download a Corona contact app for smartphones and provide information about their state of health.
However, they should be allowed to use public transport. Due to the global corona pandemic, the games originally planned in Tokyo this summer had been postponed until next year. Around 4.5 million tickets had been sold in Japan and nearly a million overseas, but there may be cancellations due to the postponement. It is therefore impossible to predict how many visitors from abroad will want to come to the games at all.
In view of the renewed increase in the number of infections, persistent doubts remain as to whether the games can really take place. However, Japan and the IOC are not only determined to host the Games while keeping everyone safe. They also hope that, despite the adversity and numerous corona-related restrictions, the games will end up being cheerful and solemn.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201202-99-543493 / 3
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