A police officer who engaged in traffic control duties during the Tokyo Olympic torch relay in western Japan last week has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, organizers said Thursday, the first such case confirmed among those involved in the event.
It is unknown when or how the officer in his 30s was infected, they said, but the announcement may fuel concern about the government sticking to the plan to hold the Summer Games despite few signs of the pandemic coming to an end.
The officer directed traffic in Naoshima, Kagawa Prefecture, on Saturday. He took a test the following day after feeling unwell, the organizers said, adding they believe no one came in close contact with him, judging from the parameters of his work that day.
The organizers have scaled back the Japan leg of the torch relay, which started March 25 in Fukushima Prefecture, in some areas as the event could potentially draw crowds despite lingering concerns over the resurgence of infections across the country.
The Tokyo Olympics, which has been postponed for one year due to the pandemic, is scheduled to start July 23, although the government is close to imposing a third state of emergency in Tokyo as well as Osaka and some other prefectures for about three weeks through mid-May.
