Usain Bolt quarantines as he awaits result of coronavirus test

[NEW YORK] Usain Bolt, the Olympic great who won eight gold medals over the course of three Olympics, will quarantine while awaiting results from a coronavirus test he took Saturday, the sprinter said in an Instagram post Monday.

"Just to be safe, I'm going to be quarantining by myself," Bolt said, adding that he has had no symptoms of the virus.

Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter who holds world records in the 100 and 200-metre dash, celebrated turning 34 on Friday at a surprise party. Attendees included his girlfriend, his newborn daughter and prominent soccer players Raheem Sterling and Leon Bailey, among others. Videos posted by music news outlet Urban Islandz showed attendees dancing near one another without wearing masks. It was not clear whether any other attendees had tested positive for the virus.

Bolt said he was responding to reports circulating on social media, stemming from a Nationwide News Network report in his home country that he had tested positive.

Bolt's test coincided with a spike in Covid-19 cases in Jamaica as the island celebrated its independence the week of Aug 6. Christopher Tufton, the country's health minister, said at a news conference Sunday that 1,529 people had tested positive for the coronavirus and 16 had died.

NYTIMES