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Update: The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics has now been officially postponed by one year, according to an announcement by Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday.
The IOC has been facing incredible pressure to delay the Olympics that were originally scheduled to occur from July 24 to August 8 while the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe.
This is the first time the Olympics has ever been rescheduled during peacetime, with it being canceled in the past because of world wars in 1916, 1940 and 1944.
Recently on March 17, Seiko Hashimoto, Japan’s Olympic minister, announced that the country was still planning for a “complete” hosting of the Games, meaning the Games would start “on time and with spectators in attendance.”
Other countries did not agree with that decision, however, with Canada and Australia both announcing that they wouldn’t be sending athletes to compete in Tokyo this year, and Germany, Poland, and the USA all called for the Games to be postponed until 2021.
Dissent is starting to grow among athletes after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Tuesday that no “drastic decisions” are being made about the Games. The summer games are expected to begin in Japan in July 2020.
Athletes are saying that they feel like they’re being forced into an impossible position because of Covid-19. The virus has killed at least 7,900 worldwide while infecting almost 200,000 others.
The IOC said in a statement to CNN, “This is an exceptional situation which requires exceptional solutions. The IOC is committed to finding a solution with the least negative impact for the athletes, while protecting the integrity of the competition and the athletes’ health.”
Katarina Johnson-Thompson, the UK’s world heptathlon champion, is not pleased. She posted on social media:
“The IOC and the Local Government are at odds with one another. The IOC advice ‘encourages athletes to continue to prepare for the Olympics Games as best as they can’ with the Olympics only four months away, but the government legislation is enforcing isolation at home, with tracks, gyms and public spaces closed.”
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US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams warned on NBC this morning that “we should be acting as if we have the virus.”
He spoke of the importance of following protective measures during the current outbreak. He said that anyone who feels sick should stay at home, despite the results of any test.
“If we do those three things–making sure we’re cleaning our surfaces, making sure we’re washing our hands, and making sure we’re staying six feet away from people–that’s how we will most protect ourselves from this disease,” said Adams.
He also said, “You should not change your approach to mitigation measures based on a positive or a negative test. You could test negative and still be early in the incubation period and still spread coronavirus.”
Adams warned of continuing blood shortages as well. He asked healthy Americans to donate blood.
“You can still go out and give blood. We’re worried about potential blood shortages in the future. Social distancing does not have to mean social disengagement.”
Many people are worried about how they’ll handle existing health worries, such as managing afib and other ongoing issues.
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Governments in 113 countries have closed their educational institutions to try to slow the coronavirus. This is according to the latest report from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Right now there are 849.4 million children and youth who have been impacted by the closures.
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West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin said he was worried today in an interview with CNN as he waited for his state’s first case of coronavirus. He said he didn’t want people to be “lulled into a false sense of security” because of it.
“I thought it was just carnage waiting to happen,” said Manchin. “I wanted to make sure that people understood that they shouldn’t get a false sense of security.”
He continued, “Up until a couple days ago we only had 40 tests done, now I think we are at 130 or so, but with that being said, John, we have no testing, we are not prepared, people think that we are immune from this.”
Manchin also warned, “When it hits my state–and it has hit–it’s going to be absolutely catastrophic.”
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The White House has postponed a state dinner for Spanish Royals over concerns about the coronavirus. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said the visit from Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will take place later.
“President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump look forward to welcoming Their Majesties to the United States and the White House in the near future.
“The United States will continue to work with Spain and all of our European partners to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Grisham, who added that postponing will allow both countries to “devote their full resources and attention to the COVID-19 response.”
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