Just days before Olympics, security goes down after viral outbreak
There are any number of threats that officials must prepare for at the upcoming Winter Olympics in South Korea.
The one that’s almost impossible to prevent, however, is sickness.
The outbreak of a norovirus has been spreading among security members hired for the Games. The organizing committee for the Games — the POCOG — said 32 cases of norovirus have been confirmed, and those people were quarantined after being treated.
Those 32 cases involve 21 private security staff members and 11 people from other locations, including three foreigners.
The virus is highly contagious and causes vomiting and stomach cramps among other symptoms.
The POCOG said in a statement that workers began reporting symptoms Sunday.
The workers affected are largely responsible for checking credentials and screening baggage entering the venues.
POCOG chief Lee Hee-beom said Tuesday some 1,200 private security staff have been pulled from their duties as a precaution to prevent the norovirus from spreading. Those workers will be replaced with military personnel.
The organizing committee said ground water used in food and beverages at a housing facility for the security personnel is believed to be the source of the norovirus. Tests on the water over the past five days have found no traces of the virus.
“As a president of POCOG, I would like to apologize for this,” Lee said. “Our disease control center [and] other related government agencies here are now discussing countermeasures and will come up with proper measures and will be announced soon.”
Sanitization measures are underway, officials said.
“All areas are getting disinfected. They [organizers] will be extremely diligent to sanitize anything that came into contact with the persons. Very stringent measures are in place when it comes to food and beverage,” Christopher Dubi, Olympic Games executive director, said at a press conference.
Athletes have not yet been affected by the norovirus, but with more athletes and visitors arriving in the days ahead of Thursday’s opening ceremony, concerns of a larger outbreak are growing.
U.S. athletes are used to taking preventative steps when they travel internationally for competition.
“Here at the Games we don’t stay at the village; we stay at our own compound, where we have our own chefs cooking food,” U.S. men’s ski team coach Sasha Rearick told USA Today. “One part of that is to try to keep the home feeling. One of the things we do is cook American food that the guys like that’s also healthy. And then controlling our environment, where we try to minimize our exposure. Travel’s always a risky part; having more people around is risky so we try to avoid that.”
Rearick also said frequent hand washing and extra doses of vitamins are part of the preventative plan.
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