WASHINGTON — As 25,000 delegates from around the world pile into negotiating rooms, cram into security queues and huddle over texts, the threat of COVID-19 is always present.
And sure enough, some delegates are falling sick at the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland. A U.S. official has tested positive, the State Department said on Sunday, joining Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who went into quarantine last week.
The Scottish government puts the infection rate at the summit at around 0.1%, according to a statement from the administration. COP President Alok Sharma declined to share numbers with reporters last week, saying only there’s no reason “to be concerned.”
The data is based on an honor system. To get into the conference center delegates have to do a lateral-flow test in their hotel, register a negative result on a website, and receive a text message back as confirmation to show security guards.
But as the conference heads into its second week, when officials are braced for all-nighters in negotiating rooms, there are signs that some delegations are stepping up precautions. U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry, for example, isn’t just relying on lateral-flow kits in his room, but got a PCR test sent off to the lab to be sure.
