Covid at Paris Olympics 2024: At least 40 Olympians including Noah Lyles tested positive for the virus, says WHO

Many hoped the Paris Olympics would be the postCovid Games Instead they seem to be the who cares about Covid GamesNoah Lyles won a bronze with the virus in front of tens of thousands of spectators and dozens of other athletes at the Games have tested positive But organizers have only issued health recommendations and no restrictions allowing athletes to compete if they wish and are able toThis comes in sharp contrast with the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 which had to be delayed by a year because of the pandemic and were held under intense Covid19 regulations iquest and no fans allowed at any events Six months later the Winter Games in Beijing had even stricter protocols because of Chinas zerotolerance policyIn Paris the Olympics recall preCovid19 times French people have revived the doublecheeked greeting embrace Fans joyfully reach out at venues to slap athletes hands Masks are rarely seen in crowds of supporters and people from across the world came to France without proof of vaccines or negative virus testsThe World Health Organization said earlier this week that at least 40 athletes at the Olympics had tested positive for the virus amid growing cases worldwideOn Thursday night Lyles was carted off the track in a wheelchair after he finished third in the 200 meters He then said he had tested positive for COVID19 two days before On Friday he sported a mask while accepting his bronze medal waving to fans while keeping a distance from the other winnersLast week British star Adam Peaty tested positive less than 24 hours after claiming a swimming silver medal He said he first began feeling ill a day earlier ahead of the 100meter breaststroke finalThe Australian delegation in Paris said five Covid19hit players on its womens water polo team were clear to practice when they feel well enough to trainCovid19 is being treated like any other respiratory disease International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said Friday It is being treated like flu now so there is no obligation for any special measures or notificationsiquestCovid19 is no longer a global health emergency according to the WHO and with much higher vaccination levels now than during the previous two Olympics it is treated like any other respiratory illness There has been a surge of Covid19 globally this summer but because of vaccination and prior infection most cases are mild unless people are over 65 or have underlying conditionsParis 2024 organisers remind athletes of iquestgood practicesiquest if they experience respiratory symptoms including wearing a mask in the presence of others limiting contacts and washing hands regularly National Olympic committees and federations can add further measuresThe Olympic Village is equipped with its own clinic offering a broad range of health care services at no cost to athletesThe Tokyo Games in August 2021 were held before most countries had finished their immunization programs and when vaccine supplies were still quite limited Athletes media and other visitors had to submit saliva samples daily with thousands of tubes being submitted and tested over the course of the Games Surges in positive cases outside the Olympic bubble had provoked the government to declare increasingly widespread states of emergencyAny positive tests led to immediate isolation at a separate Covid19 hotel Anyone with significant symptoms was hospitalisedAll Olympic visitors had to have two negative Covid19 tests before boarding flights to Japan and they were tested again upon arrivalOlympic dining facilities had plastic screens between each seat and diners had to wear gloves to pick up their food No fans were allowed at any events leading to strange scenes with sound echoing through empty stadiums and coaches able to be heard encouraging their athletesThe rules at the Winter Games in Beijing in February 2022 were even stricterOlympic organizers operated a health security bubble iquest called a iquestclosedloop management systemiquest iquest even for vaccinated people before during and after the Winter Olympics and ParalympicsNo fans from outside China were allowed in Any Olympic media or sports official had to test negativeAny Olympic volunteers from China had to go to individual hotel rooms and quarantine for three weeks before the Olympics and for three weeks after the Games before returning home They had food delivered and were not allowed to leave their roomsAnyone who tested positive was immediately isolatedFrance once had tight Covid19 restrictions including lockdowns when the pandemic broke out in 2020 followed by mandatory regulations to wear masks outdoors an 8month nightly coronavirus curfew and vaccine requirements The country lifted isolation measures last year instead advising people to follow basic health recommendations iquest just in time for Olympics that organisers labeled the Games Wide Open