Winter Olympics: China reports 34 new Covid-19 cases among athletes, officials arriving for Games
- Of the infections, 13 were among people who arrived in Chinese capital on Saturday
- Another 11 cases were detected in the ‘closed loop’ that is operating for the duration of the Games
Thirty-four new Covid-19 cases were detected among Olympic Games-related personnel on Saturday, the organising committee of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games said on Sunday.
Of those, 13 were athletes or team officials who tested positive after arriving at the airport on Saturday. The total number of coronavirus cases since January 23 has risen to 139.
Among the total infections, 23 were among new airport arrivals, while 11 were people already in the “closed loop” bubble that separates event personnel from the public, said a notice on the Games’ official website.
The Winter Games are being held under strict coronavirus rules, which means all participants from athletes to journalists are completely separated from the general Chinese population.
To detect infections as quickly as possible, every participant in the bubble must take a PCR test daily.
Anyone who tests positive must isolate in a dedicated hotel. After two negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart they may leave isolation.
China is still pursuing a strict zero-Covid strategy which sees even small clusters of cases targeted with strict measures.
In the past few weeks, the authorities imposed lockdowns on several cities with millions of inhabitants.
