A few days before the start, the Paralympics in Tokyo recorded the first four corona cases among the athletes. The positive results were discovered on Friday and Saturday.
The organizers announced this on Sunday (August 22nd, 2021) without naming the names or nationalities of those affected. The Paralympic Village opened on Tuesday.
The virus was also found in two other people in the village related to the games. So far, the organizers have reported 101 cases of infection in connection with the Paralympics, the majority of them among contractors and employees of the Games living in Japan.
Strict corona rules possible
Due to the worsening coronavirus situation in Japan and Tokyo, even stricter measures have recently been considered as part of the Paralympics, and an expansion of the tests is under discussion.
As with the Olympics, no fans are allowed in the sports facilities at the Paralympics. There is an exception for schoolchildren who are allowed to play the games as part of an integrative education program. However, this measure is controversial.
The situation has clearly deteriorated
The pandemic situation in Japan has recently steadily worsened. In the past few days, around 25,000 new infections were registered every day, more than ever before. The government has extended the state of emergency to 13 regions and extended it to September 12th. The measure aims to reduce the opening times of restaurants and bars to a large extent and to prohibit them from selling alcohol.
Experts, however, are pushing for even tougher measures. In addition, some governors urged the government to consider curfews, as in other countries.
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