Tokyo 2020 Olympics to go ahead despite coronavirus scare

AFP

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Organisers of the Games say fear spreading quicker than the virus

The Ariake Arena in Tokyo. (Photo: Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee)

Tokyo: Organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics said on Thursday that the Games would "go ahead as planned" and slammed 'misinformation' on the new coronavirus outbreak that has killed over 560 people and infected at least 28,000 -- the vast majority in mainland China.

The Tokyo Olympics begin on July 24 with the Paralympics starting on August 25.

Chief executive officer Toshiro Muto said, "It is important to remain objective and cool-headed. We don't want to alarm the public. The infection is still limited and there is no problem staging the Olympics based on the current situation."

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) spokesman Craig Spence complained that scaremongering had created an "info-demic" that could skew public perception in the run-up to the Olympics and Paralympics.

"Fear is spreading quicker than the virus," he said. "It's important we quell that fear. Only 191 of the total cases are outside mainland China. If you compare that with the common flu, these are still relatively small numbers."

"The World Health Organization (WHO) has not declared this a pandemic. We dealt with the Zika virus in Rio and in these matters we need to rely on the experts.

"We will follow the advice of the World Health Organization. Every organising committee looks into countermeasures, and we have measures in place from previous Olympics and Paralympics here in Tokyo. It is standard practice, it's business as usual."

More than 20 countries have confirmed cases of the flu-like coronavirus.

Global panic

Japan has had no reported deaths so far, but 45 cases have been detected, including at least 20 people on a cruise ship carrying more than 3,700 passengers and crew quarantined off Yokohama.

The WHO has declared the outbreak a global health emergency.

Japan has warned citizens against non-essential travel to China and fast-tracked new rules including limits on entering the country as it tries to contain the spread of the virus.

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday pledged that preparations for the Olympics would proceed as normal.

"The coronavirus is beginning to have an impact on tourism," he said. "But the government will continue to steadily prepare for the Games in close cooperation with the IOC (International Olympic Committee), the local organising committee and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government."

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