Two athletes became the first to test positive for the COVID-19 in the Tokyo Olympic Village, officials said Sunday, as new border rules in Europe caused last-minute travel frustration.
A daily tally of new cases revealed two athletes tested positive in the Village and one elsewhere. They come a day after an unidentified person, who was not a competitor, became the first case in the village.
Britain is also facing a backlash over its decision to exclude France from its new looser entry policies – vaccinated returning UK residents will still have to quarantine for 10 days, unlike in other “amber” countries.
“I’m a doctor so I understand the health issues very well, but this doesn’t make any sense,” said Maud Lemoine, a London-based doctor who is visiting France.
And France’s government drew ire after announcing that unvaccinated visitors from Britain and several other European countries must show a negative COVID-19 test taken within 24 hours of departure rather than 48 or 72 hours, as was the case previously.
The interior ministry said almost 114,000 demonstrators gathered across France on Saturday to protest against the government’s handling of the pandemic and continued restrictions on everyday life.
“It’s not that we think the Earth is flat, but we don’t know the long-term effects of these vaccines cobbled together in a hurry,” care assistant Rita, 39, said at a march in the city of Montpellier.
Elsewhere in Europe, Greek officials imposed curfews on the party island of Mykonos and Spanish authorities did likewise in Barcelona and other cities in the northeastern Catalonia region.
European governments are facing an uphill battle, with the EU’s disease prevention agency warning that infections could rise fivefold across the bloc by August 1. But the continent also had something to celebrate, with the proportion of people vaccinated topping the US figure for the first time.
Around 55.5 percent have now had a first dose following a sluggish start, compared with 55.4 across the Atlantic.
EU Commissioner Thierry Breton said the achievement validated the EU’s strategy of “remaining open and exporting half of our production to 100+ countries,” vaunting the bloc’s “solidarity” compared with other vaccine makers.
And in Britain, where most of the adult population has now had two jabs, the government is preparing to ease most restrictions.
Olympic Village for athletes in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, Japan on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
