Six Tokyo Olympic Torch Relay Staff Members Test Positive for COVID-19

People wearing masks look on during a rehearsal of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics torch relay in Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 15, 2020. Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

The Tokyo Olympic Torch Relay started in Japan on March 25. At the end of April, six staff members involved with the relay in Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan were confirmed to have tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

The organizers reminded all personnel involved to abide by epidemic control rules.

The Tokyo Games have been postponed for one year due to the pandemic and are scheduled to begin on July 23.

According to the torch relay organizers, the relay was held in Kagoshima Prefecture from April 27 to 28. During the activities on April 27 in Amam and Kirishima cities, six staff members responsible for traffic control were diagnosed with COVID-19.

All six were wearing masks at the time and did not have close contact with others, the organizers said. Three were working in Amami, and the other three in Kirishima.

So far, eight staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the Japan leg of the torch relay. Previously, one staff member was infected in Kagawa prefecture and another in Ehime prefecture. The six recent cases are the first cluster infections occurring in one region.

The organizers reminded relevant personnel to abide by the epidemic prevention rules, adding that they “will continue to work hard to prevent the spread of the virus and take necessary measures to ensure safety during the [Tokyo Olympics] Torch Relay.”