The 2020 Tokyo Games haven’t even started yet and they’re already hitting all sorts of roadblocks.
The main one is COVID, especially after an Olympian from Uganda tested positive for the virus after getting to Japan on Saturday.
The Team Uganda member already has the vaccine; as we now know, the vaccine doesn’t actually necessarily protect you from COVID and claims otherwise were a lie.
So, what happens now to the Japan Olympics?
Are they still going to happen?
What Happened?
Arriving Saturday night in Tokyo, the Uganda team member tested positive at the airport; he was then taken to a government lockdown location and not let into Japan.
The rest of Team Uganda’s eight members entered the country as normal and went to Osaka where the Olympics will be held.
According to organizers, these Olympics can still take place without a problem; however, others on the more cautious side say it’s going to be a nightmare with so many competitors packed close together and actively playing each other.
Japan is already having a COVID wave, including overcrowded hospitals and overburdened doctors; it’s unclear how they’ll deal with it if infected Olympians spread the disease.
▪ OLYMPIC UNCERTAINTY
Japan pushing to hold Olympics with spectators; COVID-19 state of emergency to be lifted#COVID19 #Japan #Olympic pic.twitter.com/vnfYkEdn2p
— Arirang News (@arirangtvnews) June 18, 2021
No Time Left for Mistakes
The Olympics start in just over a month and there’s no room left for any big mistakes. At this time, the Olympics could be a great thing to bring the world together and get our minds off this awful pandemic.
However, with this Ugandan testing positive and all sorts of problems happening ahead of the Olympics, that’s now in question.
All of Team Uganda had gotten the (dangerous) AstraZeneca shots, but this member of the team still tested positive.
Japan usually has a two week quarantine for any foreigner coming into the country; although, they aren’t always applying that to Olympic athletes, which opens things up for a big spread of infections.
Japan is already experiencing another COVID wave at this time, so it’s definitely not good timing.
Japan will end a Covid state of emergency for Tokyo on June 20, about a month before the start of the Summer Olympics, Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga said Thursday https://t.co/91645syP0O pic.twitter.com/I4h31TQKed
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) June 17, 2021
Yoshihide: State of Emergency is Over
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the state of emergency is over; he’s clearly trying to relax the reins a little ahead of the Olympics, but if things are as bad as they say, then this timing could be all off.
The last thing we need is another “super spreader” event that then justifies further lockdowns and restrictions back in our own countries.
The Olympics can be a lot of fun to watch, a great place for patriotism and celebrating the brave and athletic abilities of your country’s best; however, we don’t want them to turn into a cesspool of viral spreading.
What do you think? Should the Olympics be cancelled or go ahead anyway with testing and safety measures?
