MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/. Preparations for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Japan’s Tokyo this summer are in line with the schedule despite the ongoing global spread of the novel coronavirus, the IOC press service said in a statement to TASS on Monday.
The Daily Mail reported earlier in the day it was possible that the Summer Olympics in Japan could be organized ‘behind the closed doors,’ i.e. in front of empty spectators’ stands at all sports facilities, and the global audience would be able to watch the Games via television broadcasts only.
"The preparations for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 are continuing as planned," the statement from the IOC reads. "Countermeasures against infectious diseases constitute an important part of Tokyo 2020’s plans to host safe and secure Games."
The 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo are scheduled to be held between July 24 and August 9 and the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games will run between August 25 and September 6.
"Tokyo 2020 will continue to collaborate with all the relevant organizations that are carefully monitoring any incidence of infectious diseases, and will review any countermeasures that may be necessary with all the organizations concerned," according to the IOC.
"In addition, the IOC is in contact with the World Health Organization as well as its own medical experts," the statement reads. "We have full confidence that the relevant authorities, in particular in Japan and China, will take all the necessary measures to address the situation."
On December 31, 2019, the Chinese authorities reported to the World Health Organization about an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, an economic and industrial megalopolis with a population of 11 million.
The virus was identified on January 7 as 2019-nCoV. As of today, 70 countries and territories, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases.
The World Health Organization declared the new coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, characterizing it as an epidemic with multiple locations. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on February 11 that the organization gave the novel coronavirus an official name of COVID-19.
According to the latest reports, over 89,840 cases of patients infected with the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in China and other countries. The virus’ death toll has reached 3,069, yet more than 45,630 patients have recovered from the disease.