With the Beijing Winter Olympics set to open Friday, athletes and media from around the world have converged on the Chinese capital under coronavirus control measures unprecedented for a major international sporting event.
Having achieved one of the world's lowest COVID-19 death rates per capita with strategies including spot lockdowns and heavy restrictions on international arrivals, Chinese authorities are determined to ensure the games, running through
To that end, the games are taking place behind closed doors while all accredited visitors arriving from overseas must stay inside the Olympic "closed-loop management system" comprising sports venues, media centers and hotels.
All up, more than 60,000 people are living inside the Olympic bubble, with local volunteers and staff, including cooks, cleaners and drivers, making up the bulk of the population.
Fences and security guards ensure the integrity of the bubble, with those inside only able to move from one games site to another using official Olympic vehicles.
Accredited visitors traveling from central
Arrivals at
Further daily PCR tests involving a swab from inside the throat are also part of the coronavirus safety regime, which is somewhat familiar to international media members who also covered the first
American journalist
"You're so busy, you don't have time to go out, although it's nice to have the option," Futterman said.
"The big difference is that here, it's a real bubble, while in
Rules at the
An official from the
Athletes may still be able to compete and train under certain conditions but must undergo two nasal swab tests a day, 12 hours apart.
Tournament officials other than athletes and coaches whose roles can be handled by someone else will be ordered to an isolation facility for 21 days.
For the tens of thousands of locals working and volunteering inside the bubble, the strict rules will extend beyond the Olympic closing ceremony. Once they have finished their games-related duties, they are required to spend three weeks in quarantine before they can rejoin the outside world.
==Kyodo
© Kyodo News International, Inc., source