- The Chinese capital will become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics
- The Winter Games will pose the biggest test yet of China’s Covid control measures
- Chinese organizers have come up with a solution to hold the Games in a bubble around Beijing
Wednesday marks the start of the 100-day countdown to the Beijing Winter Olympics, but not everyone is in the mood to celebrate, as officials instead race to suppress a widening outbreak of Covid-19, reports CNN.
Issues with Summer and Winter Olympics
The Chinese capital will become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics in February. But it also faces ample challenges.
In addition to growing calls for a boycott over China’s crackdown on Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, the Winter Games also risk being overshadowed by the pandemic — and China’s uncompromising zero-Covid policy.
This time around, it appears to be a much more muted affair, with much of the city bunkering down amid a new wave of coronavirus infections.
The Winter Games will pose the biggest test yet of China’s Covid control measures, with thousands of international athletes and other participants set to arrive in Beijing.
Measures taken to conduct the games
Chinese organizers have come up with a solution to hold the Games in a bubble around Beijing, which will cover all stadiums and competition venues, as well as accommodation, catering, and the opening and closing ceremonies.
Athletes and other participants who are fully vaccinated will be allowed to enter the bubble without quarantine. Those who are not fully vaccinated, meanwhile, will have to spend 21 days in quarantine upon arrival. And throughout the Games, they will be required to stay within the bubble, hence avoiding any contact with local residents.
The Chinese capital has always been a top priority in the country’s zero-Covid policy. Most international flights arriving in China land not in Beijing, but in cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai.
COVID pandemic in Beijing
Amid the widening outbreak, Beijing has tightened entry restrictions for domestic travelers too.
Last week, flights to the capital from Chinese cities with known infections were canceled. And beginning this week, officials banned entry for people who had visited localities with infections within the past 14 days — even if they are Beijing residents who want to return home. Other domestic travelers are required to present a negative coronavirus test and undergo 14 days of health monitoring.
The city also suspended its annual marathon, originally scheduled for October 31, while the arrival of the Olympic flame last week was marked with a low-key ceremony attended by a small audience.
The vaccine roll out in China
The rapid spread of the virus comes despite about 75% of China’s population — or more than a billion people — being fully vaccinated. To improve public immunity, Chinese authorities have rolled out booster shots and launched a nationwide campaign to vaccinate children between 3 to 11 years old.
The efficacy of Chinese vaccines, especially in face of the highly infectious Delta variant, has long raised concerns. But Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council for Foreign Relations, said even the best vaccines can’t fulfill the zero-Covid goal set by the Chinese government.
Zero-COVID strategy
While the zero-Covid strategy remains broadly popular among the Chinese public, there are growing signs that some residents are fed up with the lockdowns.
In Ruili, a city on China’s border with Myanmar, residents have taken to social media to complain about the extended, stringent lockdowns that have derailed their lives. The city relies heavily on border trade and tourism and has faced recurring outbreaks since March, leaving many families with no income, according to the posts — some of which have been censored.
Did you subscribe to our daily Newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe
Source: CNN
