France sees no Olympic spike in Covid cases: minister

There has been no spike in Covid cases in France as tourists surge in for the Paris Olympic Games, a minister said Thursday, adding that the government would remain “vigilant”.

“Covid is still with us at a low level” but “we’re not in a period with an explosion or strong return” of the virus, junior health minister Frederic Valletoux told broadcaster Franceinfo.

He added that authorities were not “for now” expecting to introduce mask requirements in venues.

“There’s no kind of very strong alert signal at this stage,” Valletoux said.

A few of the 10,500 athletes set to patricipate have tested positive for Covid since arriving.

“We knew there is no such thing as zero risk,” Valletoux said.

Among the worst hit are Australia’s female water polo team, with the delegation’s head Anna Meares confirming five cases, while several Belgian competitors have also tested positive according to Olympic Committee doctors.

Some delegations have toughened up precautions in response.

For instance, France’s