Four Team SA members test positive for Covid-19 in Tokyo
THE South African Olympic team will continue to follow all the necessary protocols to ensure no further spread of the Covid-19 virus, in the camp or the Olympic village, following yesterday's dramatic news that three members of the men's football squad had tested positive. The positive tests returned by Thabiso Monyane and Kamohelo Mahlatsi and video analyst Mario Masha, following the latest round of daily sputum (saliva) testing, brings to four the number of people in the Team SA delegation who've tested positive.
The rugby Sevens team's coach, Neil Powell, also tested positive, and is in an isolation facility in Kagoshima, where the team is holding a pre-Games training camp.
“Every member of Team South Africa required full medical clearance as an eligibility criteria.
“In addition, they were encouraged to isolate for two weeks pre-departure, monitor health daily, report any
symptoms, and produce two negative nasopharyngeal PCR tests taken within 96 hours of departure, as per Tokyo 2020 requirements,” Team SA's Chief Medical Officer Dr Phatho Zondi, explained.
“The timing of the positive results suggests that the PCR test in these individuals was done during the
incubation period of the infection, which is how they could be negative in South Africa and then positive in Japan.
They are now in isolation where they will continue to be monitored and will not be allowed to train or have any physical contact with the rest of the squad,” Zondi added.