On February 3, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) released a playbook describing the measures to be taken to protect staff, athletes and communities from SARS-CoV-2 in the rescheduled 2021 Tokyo Summer Games, set to begin in late July. On February 25, guidelines for the Olympic Torch relay were announced.

Megan Ranney

I, like many other public health professionals, am concerned that these measures may be both too little and too late. I worry deeply about the implications of the Games for the health of three groups: the athletes and staff; the spectators and their home country; and the host community itself. Currently, there are simply   วิธีเล่นเกมยิงปลา too many unknowns to guarantee protection from SARS-CoV-2 at the 2021 Summer Games, should they occur as currently being planned.

The Summer Olympics do have some factors in their favor. Many (though far from all) athletes compete outdoors during warmer months - and infections are currently on a downward trend worldwide, all of which bodes well for a lower chance of transmission during the Games. And many people in higher-income countries will have had the chance to receive vaccines by the time the Olympics roll around (though this raises justifiable questions about equity). Finally, the IOC's playbook is strict about precautions at the Games, and about precautions for the athletes and staff - for example, banning athletes from going to bars or using public transportation.

But these positives are unlikely to outweigh the risks - especially for spectators and for the host communities in Tokyo and other cities, none of whom will benefit from the stringent precautions being applied to athletes.