In a major concession, #OlympicsTokyo2020 athletes can bypass Japan’s ban on entry, provided they ‘monitor their own health and test negative for the coronavirus within 72 hours of leaving their own country.’ With the pandemic running rampant in the US and elsewhere this is very risky.
A better solution would be to quarantine athletes for 14 days before they travel, to ensure that they are free from the virus. They should also have to secure negative Covid tests before they board a plane, and again upon their arrival.
If national governments from countries that have the pandemic under control are not satisfied with their precautions – and it would be surprising if they agreed to the lax standards proposed by the organisers – they may not be willing to send athletes to Tokyo.
