Tokyo Olympics: Covid-19 cases hit 71 before first matches begin on Wednesday
- Three softball and six women’s football matches are scheduled for Wednesday
- Japan’s pledge to hold a safe and secure Games is being threatened by growing Covid-19 cases in Tokyo, with visiting athletes testing positive
Three softball and six women’s football matches will take place on Wednesday, including a softball match between Japan and Australia in Fukushima, the city hard hit by the tsunami-caused meltdown of a nuclear power station in 2011.
Also in action is the United States women’s football team who as world champions are seeking to beat Sweden, whom they lost to in the 2016 quarter-finals.
Of the total Covid-19 cases, 31 are international visitors tied to the event. The tally accounts for announced cases since July 2.
While the total number of infections is small compared to the thousands involved in the event, a public health expert on Tuesday said the so-called bubble to control virus cases at the Olympic athletes’ village in Tokyo had already been “broken”, creating a risk of spreading infections to the general public.