Fourteen South Africa players and four staff members tested negative on their arrival in Tokyo but news emerged that a fellow passenger on their flight had tested positive and that the 18-strong party had sat near the traveler.
The group has now moved into a hotel to quarantine and that period of isolation could last up to 14 days.
The Rugby Sevens event is due to start on July 26 and now they are up against the clock to prove their health and that they are COVID-free before joining the tournament.
Their pre-Games training camp in Kagoshima, south west Japan, has been cancelled. South Africa’s 15-man first-team have been hit by a host of COVID-19 cases in the build-up to their series with the British and Irish Lions which is due to be played without fans in Cape Town.
Homepage photo: World Rugby
Written by Mark Pickering in Tokyo
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