on the mat. and her poise just before nailing this vault. the team staying united after that covid scare. alternate cara acre still isolating after testing positive. and in softball team usa on the road to gold with back-to-back victories. on the field and in the water athletes are contending with extreme heat. i just got off the water now and i m exhausted and i m hot. and it s tough but it s part of it. reporter: the olympic action coming as covid cases continue to rise in tokyo. nearly 2,000 infections since yesterday including two more in the athletes village. tonight we re hearing from the american beach volleyball player who tested positive. taylor crabb said he s vaccinated, has no symptoms and is devastated to miss the games. and now olympic officials dealing with a pr crisis.
71 people have tested positive. the games of course set to begin on friday. just around the corner here. cnn selina wang live in tokyo with more. it is an olympics like no other, selina. reporter: exactly, brianna, and today, japan, tokyo reporting 1490 covid cases, the second highest daily tally. more anxiety than excitement. alcohol is banned from being served in restaurants, and people are concerned about the growing covid-19 cases linked to the games, and are skeptical if the prevention measures are going to hold up. three days before the opening ceremony, tokyo is trying to prevent the spread of covid-19 as cases creep up among athletes and those connected to the olympics. that includes cara acre an alternate for the u.s. gymnastics team. she will return to the u.s.
prevent the spread of covid-19 as cases creep up among athletes and those connected to the olympics. that includes cara acre, an alternate for the u.s. gymnastics team. she will return to the u.s. after ten days isolation. her unvaccinated teammate 17-year-old leeann wong is in isolation as a close contact according to her coach. the so-called bubble of the olympic village has also been punctured with several positive covid cases detected among the south african soccer team. they insist the village is still safe. it is clear, that it is a safe place to stay. reporter: but health experts say the wider strategy of keeping foreign visitors away from locals is failing. it is obviously that the system is kind of broken. if there is a interaction between guest and visitors and
their constitutional rights by forcing them to receive unwanted medical treatment. but current indiana law requires that students get immunized for six diseases in order to attend state colleges. in the ruling the judge said the constitution permits the school to pursue vaccinations in, quote, the legitimate interest of public health for students, facility and staff. friday marks the beginning of the olympic games in tokyo but the coronavirus has already affected some members of team usa. tom yamas is in japan with the latest on what s being done to slow the spread. reporter: the olympics in a tug of war with the pandemic. the first american athlete here testing positive for covid. cara acre, an alternate for the super star women s gymnastics team. the 18-year-old from the kansas city area was vaccinated. she s asymptomatic and
team usa plans to hold four more practices in japan before opening competition against france on sunday. a thought. hasn t lebron opened up a new movie? he could do it. think about it. meanwhile, usa basketball announced yesterday samuelson was placed on protocols. she said she felt ill with covid and is devastated to learn she will not be playing. she s also been vaccinated. she ll be replaced by jackie young. also an alternate on the u.s. women s gymnastics team is the first to test. cara acre and leon wong have been placed in isolation.