TOKYO: The Tokyo Olympics next July will be a"uniquely risky" event, demanding flexibility from organisers amid the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, particularly if a vaccine has not been rolled out by then, medical experts say.
Tokyo 2020 is set to run from Jul 23 to Aug 8 next year, but organisers expect few changes to the original plan, including attendance by enthusiastic supporters.Advertisement"Every person that you add to a gathering adds risk," said Binney, who expects vaccine development would take 1-1/2 years from the start of the outbreak, or until late 2021, at the earliest.
Although more hopeful for a vaccine to be found within a year, Jason Kindrachuk, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Manitoba in Canada, flagged a risk of further delay to the Games, as vaccinating people would take time. Dr Kentaro Iwata, who drew international attention for his criticism of the Japanese government when quarantined in February on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, along with thousands of passengers, expressed pessimism over the new date.
"The mission is to prepare the stage for next summer; we do not feel it is appropriate to respond to speculative questions," spokesman Masa Takaya said in an email to Reuters on Monday.
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