Even the world’s fastest human couldn’t outrun the coronavirus. Just days off from his controversial birthday bash, the greatest sprinter of all time and the fastest man alive –tests positive for COVID-19.
Following the recent social media uproar about his dangerous “mask-free” party, the multiple Olympic gold medalist and world-record holder finally revealed his whereabouts to the public. A week after his 34th birthday celebration in St. Andrew, the fastest man alive shared a video on his Instagram account about his COVID-19 positive test result.
Jamaica’s health ministry confirmed the finding. Bolt remains asymptomatic, however, but has announced that he is self-isolating.
Bolt in Isolation
In his post on August 25th captioned “stay safe my ppl,” Bolt expressed his desire to address everyone’s worries saying that he is trying to be responsible by staying at-home in isolation. He said that he currently has no symptoms and is awaiting confirmation on specific protocols put in place.
He repeatedly stressed that he plans to quarantine himself away from his friends to be safe, wishing to take it easy.
News spread among many platforms as fast the Jamaican can sprint. Most of his fans wished for his “speedy” recovery, even some suggesting him to drink ginger tea non-stop. However, others reacted to the video differently, saying that Usain was yet to know the actual results, but that it was leaked before getting a hold of it.
Jamaica’s worrying COVID-19 uptick
Regardless of the truth on that matter, Jamaica is now reported to have a sudden increase of more than 60 active cases per day in just the last four days. These figures pale in comparison from having less than 10 in a week before it. The country now has 1,612 confirmed cases, 622 of which are active, and 16 in overall fatalities.
Authorities attributed the marked increase in COVID-19 cases to reopening the nation’s borders and two holiday celebrations in August: Independence Day and Emancipation Day.
Government officials are pushing the liability of un-abiding civilians refusing to wear masks and follow social-distancing protocols. Questions have been raised further on the country’s capacity to handle the coronavirus pandemic, especially since its national elections are forthcoming in September.
Government officials have also pushed for postponements of school reopenings by a month and the institution of a national curfew to curb the novel coronavirus’ spread.