Difficult situation in Beijing – deceptive corona tests: negative at home, positive in Beijing – Sport

The wave of travel to the Olympic Games is rolling, again and again the horror scenario becomes reality for a newcomer – a positive PCR test. From the official side it says reassuringly: everything as expected.

The numbers once again prove the International Olympic Committee (IOC) right. 58,530 PCR tests were carried out on Friday in connection with the Winter Olympics in Beijing, 36 were positive. That’s a ridiculous 0.06 percent. And yet unfortunate destinies hide behind this tiny thing. People who traveled to China in the midst of the corona pandemic to win medals or to do their job as supervisors or reporters – and who are now stuck in a quarantine hotel despite all precautions.

The seventh darn test

One of them is the Swedish cross-country skier Leo Johansson. At the beginning of the Olympic winter, the 22-year-old made his breakthrough. Then a good two weeks ago: Corona. He was then PCR tested six times, each time negative. After landing in Beijing then the darn number 7.

Claus Lufen can tell a similar story. He did “everything that is possible and required,” he said ARD-Moderator of the “Sportschau” in a video interview: “Nevertheless, the test was positive after my arrival.” “Despite all the precautionary measures and the conditions that have to be met, there is a significant gap that cannot be prevented,” said the 55-year-old.

He is not alone in his predicament: “I have the feeling that one or two new people come to my hotel every hour. It is a very critical situation at the moment. The big arrival days are still to come.”

There was one on Friday. More than 1,400 “Olympic-related people” were tested at Beijing Airport, 29 were positive – just over two percent. The Canadian team reported five cases alone. They must have feared something like this. “Part of our strategy was to arrive early to have time for confirmation tests and, if necessary, for the medical expert panel process,” said the winter sports nation’s National Olympic Committee (NOC).

False security at home?

At the beginning of the week, China gave in to pressure from several NOKs and reduced the relevant CT value for PCR tests from 40 to 35. However, this is still higher than in Germany (30), which is why a series of negative tests at home can also provide deceptive security.