COVID-19 cases are rising among Olympic athletes and coaches just days before the start of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games.
Of the 379 athletes and team officials and 1,059 other delegation members who arrived in China on Monday, all 1,438 took PCR tests at the airport, and 11 athletes and officials and seven stakeholders tested positive for COVID-19, according to statistics released on Tuesday. Additionally, 3,103 PCR tests were taken by athletes and team officials and 60,445 were taken by stakeholders in a closed loop on Monday, and six positive cases were confirmed, with five coming from athletes and team officials and one from stakeholders.
“All Olympic-related personnel who entered China and Games staffs implement closed-loop management,” a statement from officials said. “They are completely separated from the outside society.”
Among those who tested positive for COVID-19 are Elana Meyers Taylor, a bobsledder for Team USA, and Emma Terho, a member of the International Olympic Committee. Both announced their positive statuses on Instagram, with Taylor’s announcement occurring on Monday and Terho’s on Sunday.
AMERICAN GOLD MEDAL HOPEFUL TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 DAYS BEFORE OLYMPICS
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZaxj4bIkNJ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZWL4u3MZWE/
Taylor said she is asymptomatic and is in isolation at a hotel.
“This is just the latest obstacle that my family and I have faced on this journey, so I’m remaining optimistic that I’ll be able to recover quickly and still have the opportunity to compete,” Taylor wrote.
Olympics officials said on Jan. 24 that athletes with positive PCR tests will be required to isolate in designated isolation facilities. If they spend 10 days or more in isolation, they can be released if they are not displaying any COVID-19 symptoms and their PCR tests return negatives for three consecutive days.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Beijing Olympics begin Friday and conclude on Feb. 20.
