Akuko ikpe mbu COVID-19 na Tokyo Olympic Village

• The very first coronavirus case in the Olympic Village reported during the screening test.
• Earlier, a Nigerian delegate in his 60s became the first visitor to games who was hospitalized with COVID-19.
• Authorities are also trying to locate a Ugandan weightlifter, who was a no-show for a COVID-19 test and went missing from his hotel room.

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The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games officials announced that the first COVID-19 case has been reported in the Olympic Village in Tokyo, Japan just seven days before the games opening date. The event is scheduled to commence on July 23 and is set to be held without spectators and under strict health protocols.

“That was the very first case in the Village that was reported during the screening test,” Masa Takaya, spokesperson for the organizing committee, said today. 

Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto confirmed that the infected person is a foreigner who is involved in organizing the games. The person’s nationality was not revealed, due to privacy concerns. 

Japanese media also reported that a Nigerian delegate in his 60s became the first visitor to games who was hospitalized with COVID-19. The person tested positive for the virus in the airport on Thursday and was admitted to a hospital.

Japanese authorities are also trying to locate a 20-year-old Ugandan weightlifter, Julius Ssekitoleko, who was a no-show for a COVID-19 test and went missing from his hotel in Izumisano, Osaka prefecture, yesterday. He reportedly left a note saying he does not want to return to Uganda.

The Games, canceled last year due global COVID-19 pandemic, scheduled to be held without spectators and under strict health protocols between July 23 and August 8.

Tokyo is set to remain under a state of emergency for the duration of the tournament due to the rise in infections. The Japanese capital reported 1,271 new cases yesterday, which was the third straight day that the daily increase shot past 1,000.

A group of protesters marched past an Olympic venue in Tokyo on Friday, demanding that the Games be canceled.

Most recent national polls showed that the majority Japanese wished to have the Games canceled or postponed, with 78% of respondents saying they opposed the Games taking place despite the COVID-19 pandemic not being over.