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As the coronavirus pandemic continues to change the way we live our every day lives, it looks like we could see the 2020 Tokyo Olympics become the latest event impacted by its expanding reach. The virus has led to shutdowns in multiple countries and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe believes the current situation “isn’t adequate” for what the would go into holding the games.
“I don’t think the world will be ready considering the spread of the novel coronavirus infection,” Abe said, via Deadline.com.
Team USA had previously shut down its gymnastics and swimming Olympic training facilities for 30 days due to the outbreak.
“We understand the significant impact this has on our National Team athletes and their training and are working with athletes and their coaches to find safe alternative solutions for our athletes to train,” a statement read at the time.
Team Canada also made a similar decision.
“Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community,” Team Canada said in a statement.
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The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in China, it has now reached many countries around the world including the United States. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
