Regarding the Tokyo Olympics, which is being held as the state of emergency is being expanded, the IOC = International Olympic Committee and the Games Organizing Committee, in addition to the athletes participating in the competition, are involved in the Games after a 14-day isolation period. We will continue to ask athletes who have finished the competition to refrain from actions that are at high risk of infection.
According to the rules for infection control of the new coronavirus for athletes and related parties participating in the Tokyo Olympics, if you want to work during the 14-day quarantine period after entering Japan, you need to submit an activity plan. In principle, public transportation Institutional use is not permitted, but after 14 days the rules will remove these restrictions.
The second half of the tournament has entered, and while the number of people involved has passed 14 days after entering Japan, the spread of infection has not stopped, as the state of emergency has been expanded in Japan.
Regarding the Olympic Games, there have been a series of cases in which athletes who have finished the competition go out of the Olympic Village for sightseeing purposes without permission, and media personnel violate the rules of infection control, such as drinking and eating in groups, and the ID card is stripped. And dispositions such as suspension have also been issued.
As of the 31st of last month, more than 41,000 athletes and related parties from overseas have visited Japan, and about 8,000 have already returned to Japan. We will continue to ask those who have passed the test to refrain from actions with a high risk of infection.
Thorough behavior management of tournament officials
As the infection of the new coronavirus spreads rapidly and the target areas such as the state of emergency are expanding, the organizing committee and others are based on the guidelines for infection control called "playbook" for athletes and related parties. It is a policy to thoroughly manage the behavior of.
Specifically, security guards assigned to the hotel where the media and tournament staff are staying are strengthening patrols to stores in and around the hotel to prevent inappropriate outings, as well as teams and tournament officials. In response to this, we are informing in writing that we should carefully carry out activities in areas where priority measures such as declaration of emergency and prevention of spread have been issued.
Tsuyoshi Iwashita, National Police Agency Security Bureau Chief of the Organizing Committee, said, "If the violation becomes apparent, we will promptly clarify the facts and dispose of it. I was talking.
Consolidation of accommodation locations for overseas media personnel Management using GPS
The Organizing Committee of the Games has consolidated the accommodations into approximately 150 locations under the supervision of the Organizing Committee, which does not allow accommodations such as private lodgings and friends' homes for overseas media personnel who are expected to have a wide range of activities.
On top of that, we use GPS to manage the 14 days after entering Japan so that we can only go out to the business destinations we submitted in advance.
Before the Games, about 10 media outlets in the United States protested to the Organizing Committee and others about such restrictions on behavior, saying that "coverage will be restricted," and then "how to utilize the information before asking for personal information of reporters." Should be clearly stated. "
In response, the Organizing Committee explained, "GPS is not something that is monitored, but something that is recorded on the person's smartphone and is requested to be presented with consent when necessary."
On the other hand, on July 27, European media officials were sentenced to suspend ID cards for drinking, eating and drinking in groups at the hotel where they were staying, and the Organizing Committee violated the rules for infection control. Our policy is to deal appropriately with cases.
Be alert with 700 guards
While acts that violate the "Playbook" that summarizes the infection control measures for the new coronavirus are occurring one after another, the Games Organizing Committee assigns about 700 guards per day to the accommodations of the people involved in the Games to be on alert. ..
Of these, hotels in Shinagawa Ward, where overseas media people are mainly staying, are on duty 24 hours a day.
On the day NHK interviewed, the guards called out to each person involved in the tournament going out of the hotel and asked for the presentation of a mobile phone application that records the number of days elapsed after entering Japan and the health condition. I was asking for the purpose of going out.
In some cases, only one member of the group presented the screen of the app and everyone tried to go out, but the guards stopped and asked for everyone's confirmation.
If I don't understand the language, I try to communicate using the translation app on my mobile phone, but there were also people involved who greeted me with a smile in a straightforward manner.
Security at this hotel is a 12-hour shift system for a group of two people, but when changing the person in charge, it also patrols the surrounding convenience stores, etc. I was checking if it was staying.