Australia's Winter Olympics Team Preparations Continue Amid COVID-19 Cases

Preparations for Australia's Winter Olympics team are proceeding in northern Italy, despite two staff members testing positive for COVID-19.

Staff Test Positive at European Training Centre

The positive tests occurred at the Australian Institute of Sport's European Training Centre (ETC) in Gavirate, Italy, on Sunday.

The two staff members, who are not athletes, experienced symptoms and tested positive on January 28 and 31. Protocols are in place to manage potential infection spread.

Protocols and Contact Management

Chef de Mission Alisa Camplin stated that the Australian Winter Olympic team has medical protocols for infectious diseases, which are being followed.

These protocols, standard for high-performance environments, have been in place for previous Olympic Games and include alternative arrangements for arrivals at the ETC.

Close contacts of the individuals who tested positive were immediately tested and received negative results. They were also given anti-virals as a precautionary measure.

Second-Largest Team in 12 Years

Australia's team for the upcoming Games consists of 53 athletes, marking it as the second-largest Australian Winter Olympic team ever. This is also the largest team in 12 years.