Tokyo Olympic organizers are considering equipping the athletes' village with "health center-like" functions exclusively for treating competitors and coaches suspected of being infected with the novel coronavirus, officials with knowledge of the situation said Friday.

The plan is different from a normal clinic in the village, the officials said, adding that there is an idea for the organizers of the Olympics and Paralympics next summer to set up an independent testing facility for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

The plan will be discussed at a meeting later this month of the government, the Tokyo metropolitan government and the local Olympic organizing committee, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, the organizing committee will establish a special unit tasked with gathering information related to COVID-19 within the main operation center, serving as the headquarters during the games, they said.

The athletes' village in Tokyo's bay area is expected to be used by more than 10,000 people. The organizers discussed measures to prevent the spread of the virus in the village's restaurants and other shared facilities during their meeting earlier this month at the prime minister's office.

A panel headed by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiro Sugita was launched in early September to formulate measures against the virus. It plans to submit an interim report possibly by the end of the year after meeting two more times.