TOKYO: The Japanese government and others agreed Tuesday to establish an infectious disease response center to monitor the health conditions of athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2021.

The agreement was struck at a meeting of a coordination council over the novel coronavirus epidemic among the central government, the Tokyo metropolitan government and the organizing committee of the Tokyo Games.

Members of the council also agreed to set up a hub serving as a public health center and a fever clinic for outpatients. The council will start work on details, including securing staff personnel for the new bases.

The infectious disease response center, to be set up as part of the organizing committee, will check the health of Olympians and Paralympians throughout the sporting events. If athletes test positive for the novel coronavirus, the center will share necessary information with their national delegations and related sports organizations.

The hub serving as a public health center is likely to be established in or near the athlete village, which will be used by up to some 30,000 people. If athletes or other people linked to the Tokyo Games are confirmed with the virus, the hub will conduct active epidemiological surveys in coordination with the infectious disease center and identify those who had close contact with the infected individuals.

The planned fever clinic will conduct virus tests, including by private institutions.

The Olympics and Paralympics have been postponed by one year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The council will also work on securing accommodation facilities for coronavirus carriers with no or mild symptoms and medical institutions to hospitalize infected people.

It will consider crafting a system to check health conditions continuously, such as the use of the COCOA smartphone app, which informs users when they have possibly had close contact with people infected with the coronavirus.

The coordination council will also study infection prevention measures and behavioral rules after arrival in Japan for officials related to the Tokyo Games, including those from the International Olympic Committee, as well as senior foreign government officials and journalists from abroad.

At the day’s meeting, the council suggested the possibility of exempting them from Japan’s 14-day quarantine requirement upon entering the country.

The council, headed by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiro Sugita, will later discuss issues related to spectators and other topics.

JIJI Press