The flame-lighting ceremony for the 2020 Olympics is still scheduled to take place in Greece next week. The Greek Olympic committee is keeping an eye on the coronavirus outbreak and is reassessing the situation every two days, but as of now the event will kick off as planned, according to Olympic organizers.

There have been seven cases of the coronavirus in Greece, but those came from people who traveled to the country from Italy. Not to be confused with the torch lighting at the Olympic Games' opening ceremonies, the Olympic flame is ceremonially lit several months before the games begin. 

The HOC, which is the Greek Olympic Committee, is taking multiple precautions as a result of the worldwide coronavirus outbreak, such as:

  • Fans will not be in attendance for the final rehearsal of the ceremony on March 11
  • The organization is trying to "significantly" cut the amount of people that are in attendance for the event
  • Receptions, dinners and lunches scheduled during the ceremony have been cancelled

The flame-lighting ceremony happens in Greece at the country's temple of Ancient Olympia. The flame is then carried for a week before being given to organizers of the Olympics. In 2020, the flame will be given to organizers of the Tokyo Olympics on March 19.

On Tuesday, Japan Olympic minister Seiko Hashimoto clarified that the Olympic contract states that the games need to be held at some point during the 2020 calendar year. The contract does not state that the games need to take place during specific weeks or months. While the IOC has reassured the public that the games will begin as planned in July, that contract note leaves the door open for a potential postponement, if need be.

According to CBS News, coronavirus has been linked to 70 countries with 90,000 cases and 3,100 deaths. With the virus continuing to spread, every aspect of the games are being watched under a close eye.