Olympics

Olympics Bubble Holds Up Even as Tokyo Covid Cases Hit Record

Bubble system separates general population from games
City’s virus surge prompted expansion of state of emergency

WATCH: The bubble system that’s separating the general population from the games seems to be holding up even as covid-19 cases in Tokyo hit a record high. (Source: Bloomberg)

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By Yuko Takeo, Lisa Du, and Grace Huang

July 30, 2021 at 9:47 AM UTC

Updated on

August 2, 2021 at 1:43 AM UTC

The Tokyo summer Olympic Games have reported over 250 cases among athletes and related personnel, but experts say the bubble system created to separate the sporting event from the Japanese capital appears to be working -- so far.

Outside the Olympic venues, the city of Tokyo is seeing a surge in Covid-19 infections and reported a record 4,058 new cases on Saturday. Yet, among athletes and stakeholders of the Olympics, the positivity rate has been only 0.02% with over 400,000 tests conducted so far, organizers said on Sunday. Of the over 40,000 tests performed at the airport for games participants, only 35 have been positive.