It remains unclear, though, how long it will take potential Olympians battling the virus to feel well enough to skate again or to begin testing negative, only adding to the uncertainty as many athletes prepare to travel to Beijing soon.

China has already announced elaborate measures to protect against the coronavirus reaching its own population or participants in the Winter Games, and to ensure those two groups have almost no contact with one another. Last month, Chinese officials detailed some of the strictest rules yet for its own citizens attending the Games.

Spectators — which were already limited to residents of China — will be allowed to clap, but not shout, in support of athletes. Waiters, cleaners and other support staff will not be allowed to leave Olympic venues to visit their families. And any Olympic participants leaving the vicinity for other parts of China will be required to spend at least one week in quarantine, followed by at least two weeks of isolation at home.