At least eight employees of a Japanese hotel, where the Brazilian Olympic judo team is staying, tested positive for the coronavirus, local authorities reported Thursday.
Health and sports officials in the city of Hamamatsu, west of Tokyo, said the tests were taken before the arrival of the 30-person Brazilian delegation on Saturday.
They assured that none of the infected people had contact with the athletes.
The news came as Tokyo prepares to hold the Olympics almost behind closed doors, with strict measures to prevent contagion among athletes, officials and journalists.
“Only those who have evidence of a negative test are working” with the judo team, said Yoshinobu Sawada, a sports official for the city.
“We explained to the team that only (healthy workers) are in the bubble. We believe that they understood the situation and our anti-contamination measures,” he told AFP.
A relative of one of the infected workers also tested positive, according to Hamamatsu authorities.
Tokyo is currently facing a state of emergency due to the virus, with an increase in infections. The city registered 1,149 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest number since January.
Olympic participants will be subject to strict measures and generally stay away from the Japanese public.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Wednesday that of more than 8,000 people who arrived in Japan between July 1 and July 13, only three tested positive upon entry and were placed in isolation.
IOC chief Thomas Bach promised to “bring no risk” to Japan with the Games, which will open on July 23.
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