Topline
Four-time Olympian bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor is no longer able to lead the way for Team USA as a flag bearer at the opening ceremony for the Beijing Winter Olympics after testing positive for Covid-19 two days after arriving in China, and she represents just one of 69 positive Covid-19 cases within the Olympic bubble since testing began January 23.
Bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor at the closing press conference for Team USA at the 2018 PyeongChang … [+]
Key Facts
Olympians, team officials and other personnel at the Beijing Winter Games have to follow strict rules after arriving in China to prevent the spread of Covid-19, such as being inside the “closed-loop system” that’s completely separated from the rest of the city and undergoing daily testing.
Meyers Taylor, who is asymptomatic and in an isolation hotel, told the Washington Post, “Everything I was told was, ‘Just get inside the bubble — once you get inside the bubble, you’re good,’” adding she and her family did everything they could to avoid Covid-19 in the past two years.
Yet even within the “closed-loop” bubble, athletes and coaching staff are testing positive for Covid-19.
Tuesday, six athletes and team officials in the bubble tested positive, along with 11 other personnel.
Since January 23, there have been 69 confirmed cases of Covid-19 within the Olympic bubble, while 11 have been hospitalized with Covid-19.
Brian McCloskey, head of the Games’ medical expert panel, said Wednesday organizers will conduct more testing and contact tracing if they find evidence of “sustained community transmission.”
Tangent
To leave isolation to compete in the bobsled competition that begins on February 13, Meyers Taylor has to test negative two times in a row. Meyers Taylor posted on Instagram that she’s “remaining optimistic that I’ll be able to recover quickly and still have the opportunity to compete.”
Key Background
Covid cases among Olympians and coaching staff inside the Olympic bubble could pose a significant challenge to Beijing’s strict “zero Covid” policy, which includes mass testing and sealing off parts of the city where Covid infections are detected. All personnel going to Beijing for the Winter Games must test negative for Covid twice within 96 hours of their flight to China, once again test negative at the airport upon arrival, and then must undergo daily PCR tests. Those who aren’t fully vaccinated against the virus must quarantine for 21 days upon arrival. Athletes who test positive in the Olympic bubble and are asymptomatic, like Meyers Taylor, are sent to an isolation facility, and those who test positive and have symptoms receive treatment at a designated hospital. Outside the Olympic bubble, Beijing reported its highest number of Covid-19 cases in 18 months earlier this week. Beijing officials sealed off several residential communities in the city after two cases were detected earlier this week to curb the spread.
Further Reading
Olympic Covid Pullouts: Russian Biathlete, Skeleton Athletes Latest To Be Out. Here’s The Full List. (Forbes)
Covid Cases Linked To Beijing Olympics Continue To Rise As 11 Staffers Are Hospitalized (Forbes)
Beijing Olympics: Will Athletes Who Recently Tested Positive For Covid – Including Shaun White, Alysa Liu – Be Allowed Entry? (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisakim/2022/02/02/us-olympic-flag-bearer-out-with-covid-19-as-tests-shows-virus-spreading-in-beijings-olympic-bubble/