Anna Meares, the chef de mission for the Australian team in Paris, said the COVID cases have been confined to the water polo team. She said the affected players are clear to practice when they feel well enough to train.

“We treat COVID no differently to any other respiratory illness, but we want to ensure that we have our protocols working as well and dealing with these illnesses and minimizing them is a part and parcel of every Olympic Games,” she said Wednesday.

The protocols include wearing masks and isolating from other team members outside of training. The whole team has been tested, according to Meares.

“More broadly, we have our respiratory illnesses protocol in place and we have reinforced with all of the teams as they arrive into our village,” she said. “Two basic rules around that really simple hygiene practices are effective. And if you are feeling unwell or have any symptoms, get tested.”

Paris is the first Olympics since the Tokyo Summer Games in 2021 and Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 were staged in COVID bubbles with rigorous testing protocols.

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