Author: CANDICE CHOI
Associated Press
Athletes need to be vaccinated – or face prolonged isolation – to be tested daily and to wear masks when not competing or training. Applause is to cheer for teammates, not chant. Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 will be quarantined and unable to play until they are released from the hospital.
Welcome to the Beijing Olympics, where strict containment measures aim to create an antivirus “bubble” for thousands of international tourists as omicron fuels infections around the world.
The precautionary protocol will be similar to this summer’s Tokyo Olympics, but much stricter. In Beijing, this will not be a stretch, as China has maintained a “zero outbreak” policy from the early days of the pandemic.
Still, China’s ability to stick to its zero-tolerance stance nationwide is already being tested with a highly circulating variant of the omicron, which is more contagious than earlier variants of the virus and better able to evade vaccine protection .
More than 20 million people in six cities are under lockdown following the latest outbreak, just weeks before the start of the Olympics on February 4.
Here’s how the Olympics work.
Do athletes have to be vaccinated?
Yes, athletes and other participants, including team staff and news media, need to be fully vaccinated to enter designated Olympic areas without completing a 21-day quarantine. These areas will include the Olympic Village, competition venues, other select attractions and dedicated transportation.
Unlike the Tokyo Olympics, participants do not have to be vaccinated.
Participants were considered fully vaccinated according to their country-outlined definitions. Each person is also required to provide the last two negative tests from an accredited laboratory before boarding.
The threat of being excluded from a positive test is adding to the pressure on athletes.
Ski mogul Hannah Soar said she avoided contact with people indoors and acted as if everyone had the virus: “We’re basically at the point where we’re in March 2020.”
What about everyday life?
Upon arrival at Beijing airport, participants will have their temperature taken and tested with throat and nasal swabs. An Olympics official who recently arrived at the scene said at a news conference that the process took him 45 minutes, although organizers noted that times could vary.
A bus will then take people to their designated residences, where they will wait up to six hours for test results to allow them to move within the approved area. Restricting movement within this “closed loop” is designed to prevent any potential contact between Olympic participants and local residents.
All participants were tested daily using throat swabs. In Tokyo, participants spit into vials for antigen testing.
Standard precautions such as ventilating the room and staying approximately 3 from others or 6 feet from athletes are encouraged.
N95 or similar caliber masks are also required in indoor and outdoor areas, with a few exceptions, such as when people eat or drink. Canteens will have partitions and seating capacity will be reduced to help maintain distance.
Conversation is not allowed in spaces where distance cannot be maintained, such as in elevators. Staff will be stationed in key areas to help guide people and ensure compliance with protocols.
What happens if an athlete tests positive?
In Tokyo, organizers said 33 athletes tested positive during the Games. Of those, 22 dropped out. Even with Beijing stepping up precautions, experts say some positive test results are likely, especially in the case of omicron.
If an athlete or other participant tests positive but has no symptoms, they will need to isolate in a dedicated hotel. They will be given meals and will be able to open the windows for fresh air but not leave the room, which organizers say is about 270 square feet.
Athletes may request fitness equipment for training.
People without symptoms can leave isolation after two days of negative tests. Organisers say those who test positive will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, but it may still be too late for athletes to compete.
As a general rule, organizers said the panel will review those who continue to test positive for more than 14 days.
Those who test positive and develop symptoms must be isolated in hospital. They also needed two days of negative tests to relax, and three days of normal body temperature and symptom resolution.
Athletes who have recovered after testing positive before the competition will also be assessed on a case-by-case basis in a “more flexible manner,” organizers said.
Will there be fans?
Spectators from overseas are not allowed to enter. As for local fans, Beijing organizers said they were finalizing the rules for their attendance.
It is unclear how the recent outbreak in China will affect decision-making. Organisers of the Tokyo Olympics had also planned to allow some domestic fans in, but abandoned the idea due to a surge in local cases. The result is a surreal scene of athletes playing in empty stadiums.
Even if some fans are allowed to be in Beijing, their presence will be muted. Everyone was asked to clap rather than yell or sing as Tokyo planned.
does it work?
While the omicron-fueled craze has swept many parts of the world, including China, organizers may still be able to hold the Games without the disruption some feared.
Dr. Sandro Galea, a public health expert at Boston University, noted that Olympic athletes are very aggressive about avoiding infection so they can compete. Even though it’s harder to use omicron, he points out that it’s no mystery what people need to do to avoid infection — take precautions, such as limiting contact with others.
