Tokyo Olympic continues to confirm Covid-19 cases

Concerns over the Tokyo Olympics serving as a new epicenter for the Covid-19 may become a reality as athletes and officials participating in the event are testing positive for the virus one after another.

The number of Covid-19 infections is rising among the Tokyo Olympics participants and the host city’s citizens.

Before kicking off the Olympics, the Japanese government had laid out a set of regulations to prevent the spread of the virus.

Those regulations included implementing the so-called "bubble prevention," which blocks contact with outsiders when Olympic athletes and officials enter the country, holding events without any spectators during the entire duration of the event, and testing athletes for Covid-19 every day.

Also, athletes must always wear masks in the village except when sleeping and eating while drinking alcohol is also prohibited in public places in the athletes' village. The organization stressed that breaking the rules can result in penalties and, in the worst case, disqualification from participation in the Olympics.

However, such intense measures seem to be ineffective.

According to the Tokyo Olympics Organizing Committee, the number of confirmed cases has risen to 55 since the organizer started counting patients at the start of this month.

Last week, a member of the Kenyan women's rugby team tested positive for the virus on a flight bound for Tokyo, and eight players from the team are undergoing quarantine due to close contact with the patient.

The Korean Olympic team has also confirmed a case after Ryu Seung-min, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), tested positive for the virus while entering Narita Airport on Saturday.

The Athletes' Village isn't safe either, as the organizing committee announced on Sunday that two athletes staying at the village had tested positive for the virus. However, the committee did not reveal specific information about the confirmed athlete.

In addition, teams from Uganda, Russia, France, Ghana, South Africa, Czech Republic, and Sri Lanka continue to see confirmed cases of Covid-19.

Serious situation in Tokyo

The situation in Tokyo is even more serious. The number of new Covid-19 cases in Tokyo as of Sunday was 1,008, an increase of 394 from a week ago, and the infection is spreading even though the city has declared a state of emergency.

Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures -- Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba –had declared a state of emergency until Aug. 22, well after the Olympics closes on Aug. 8.

Most recently, a Covid-19 monitoring meeting in Tokyo predicted that if the current rate of infection continues, the number of new infections in Tokyo will reach an average of 2,400 on Aug. 11.

Despite mounting concerns, the Japanese government and the IOC continued to show a carefree attitude toward the situation.

"It is meaningful we show the world that this difficult situation of Covid-19 can be overcome by showing the symbol of unity in the world through the Olympics right now," Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said.

IOC President Thomas Bach went one step further.

In his first press conference after visiting Japan on Saturday, Bach stressed that he did not give up on his plan to admit spectators to the Tokyo Olympics, even though the organizing committee had laid out their plans to hold the event without spectators.

"If the Covid-19 situation improves, we should consider accepting spectators," Bach said. "If you see Japanese players doing a great job, it will weaken doubts about the event."

In contrast to the carefree behaviors from top Olympic organizers, a survey conducted by the Asahi Shimbun showed that six out of 10 Tokyo residents still believe that the Olympics should be canceled or postponed.

The survey also showed that citizens did not trust Prime Minister Suga's repeated statements that the Olympics will be a safe and secure contest, with 68 percent of the respondents stating that a safe and secure contest will not be possible.