PARIS (AP) — Many hoped the Olympic Games in Paris would be the post-COVID games. Instead, it seems to be the “who cares about COVID” games.
Noah Lyles won a bronze medal in front of tens of thousands of spectators despite the virus, and dozens more athletes at the Games have tested positive. However, organizers have only issued health recommendations and no restrictions, allowing athletes to compete if they want and are able to.
This is in sharp contrast to the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, which had to be postponed for a year due to the pandemic and took place under strict COVID-19 regulations – and no fans were allowed at any event. Six months later, the Winter Games in Beijing even had stricter protocols because of China Zero tolerance policy.
In Paris, the Olympics are reminiscent of pre-COVID-19 times. The French have revived the two-cheek greeting hug – “la bise.” Fans at venues are reaching out in joy to pat athletes on the hands. Masks are rarely seen in the crowds of fans, and people from all over the world arrived in France without proof of vaccination or negative virus tests.
The World Health Organization said earlier this week that at least 40 athletes at the Olympics had tested positive for the virus, as the number of cases increases worldwide.
On Thursday evening, Lyles was wheeled off the track in a wheelchair after finishing third in the 200-meter race. He then said he had tested positive for COVID-19 two days earlier. On Friday, he wore a mask while received his bronze medal, Waves to the fans, but keeps his distance from the other winners.
Last week British star Adam Peaty tested positive less than 24 hours after winning a silver medal in swimming. He said he first felt ill the day before, the 100-meter breaststroke final.
The Australian delegation in Paris said five players affected by COVID-19 The players of the women’s water polo team can train again as soon as they feel fit enough.
Find out the latest news from Day 14 of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games:
COVID-19 “is being treated like any other respiratory disease,” Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, said on Friday. “It is now being treated like flu, so there is no obligation for special measures or reporting.”
According to the WHO, COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency, and with vaccination rates now much higher than they were at the last two Olympics, the disease is being treated like any other respiratory illness. There has been a surge in COVID-19 cases around the world this summer, but because of vaccination and previous infections, most cases are mild unless people are over 65 or have underlying medical conditions.
Paris 2024 organizers are reminding athletes of “good practices” if they experience respiratory symptoms, including wearing a mask in the presence of others, limiting contacts and washing hands regularly. National Olympic Committees and federations may add further measures.
The Olympic Village has its own clinic that offers athletes a wide range of health services free of charge.
The Tokyo Olympics in August 2021 took place before most countries had completed their vaccination programs and vaccine supplies were still quite limited. Athletes, media and other visitors had to Saliva samples daily, with thousands of tubes submitted and tested over the course of the Games. The rise in positive cases outside the Olympic bubble had prompted the government to increasingly widespread states of emergency.
If the test is positive, immediate isolation takes place in a separate “COVID-19 hotel.” Anyone with significant symptoms was hospitalized.
All Olympic visitors were required to present two negative COVID-19 tests before boarding their flight to Japan and were tested again upon arrival.
Olympic gastronomy There were plastic partitions between the seats and guests had to wear gloves to pick up their food. No fans were allowed at any event, which led to strange scenesThe noise echoed through the empty stadiums and you could hear the coaches cheering on their athletes.
The rules were even stricter at the Winter Games in Beijing in February 2022.
The Olympic organizers operated a health safety bubble – a so-called “closed-loop management system” – before, during and after the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, even for vaccinated people.
Fans from outside China were not allowed to enter. All media and sports officials at the Olympic Games had to present a negative test result.
All Olympic volunteers from China had to go into single room hotel rooms and quarantine for three weeks before the Olympics and three weeks after the Games before they could return home. They had food delivered and were not allowed to leave their rooms.
Everyone who tested positive was immediately isolated.
France once had strict COVID-19 restrictions in place, including lockdowns when the pandemic began in 2020, followed by mandatory rules to wear masks outdoors, an eight-month nighttime coronavirus curfew and vaccination requirements. The country lifted isolation measures last year and instead advised people to follow basic health recommendations – just in time for the Olympics, which organizers dubbed the “Games Wide Open.”
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Michael Giarrusso and Kate Brumback in Paris and AP Medical Writer Maria Cheng in London contributed to this report.
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