Coronavirus: Tokyo 2020 Olympics main office employee tests positive for Covid-19

A male in his thirties working in the ‘Tokyo main office’ tests positive for the wide-spreading coronavirus

Organisers, who last month postponed the Games for one year, say they are taking necessary measures for their staff

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A no entry sign in front of a Tokyo government building with a banner for the 2020 Olympic Games. Photo: SOPA Images

Published: 1:16pm, 22 Apr 2020Updated: 1:37pm, 22 Apr 2020

An employee of Tokyo 2020’s main offices has tested positive for Covid-19, organisers announced on Wednesday.

“A male employee in his [thirties] working at the Tokyo main office in Harumi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo tested positive for Covid-19. The affected employee is currently recuperating at home,” the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games said in a press release.

Tokyo organisers confirmed last month the Games – originally set for July 24 to August 9 this year – would be postponed until July 23, 2021. This came after Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach announced the agreed postponement of the Games on March 24, citing uncertainties over the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic.

Tokyo organisers said on Monday the opening ceremony will take place on July 23, 2021 – almost exactly one year after the Games were set to start this year.

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wears a protective face mask after a news conference in Tokyo on April 17. Photo: Bloomberg

This is the first confirmed case of a Tokyo 2020 employee contracting Covid-19.