Beijing boosts efforts to curb COVID spread with Winter Games at stake

Beijing’s COVID-19 worries recently multiplied with the city detecting its first case of the omicron variant, just weeks before the Winter Olympic Games are scheduled to start. China’s national capital will be hosting the games this year.

State media reports suggest that extensive steps have been taken by authorities to mitigate any spread of the variant through the city. The apartment complex of the infected individual has been sealed off.

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In addition to restricting the spread, Beijing authorities have also traced the individual’s movements over the previous days, increasing the testing. More than 13,000 tests have been conducted since the omicron case was confirmed.

The infected person lives and works in the city’s northwestern district of Haidian and had no travel history outside of Beijing for the past two weeks, according to state media.

State media on Monday reported the capital, with its 20 million residents, was considering stronger restrictions on travel. All transit links with Tianjin have already been severed. International flights have been sharply reduced and domestic travelers have been barred if they transferred to a second location before arriving in Beijing.

According to reports from Associated Press, Beijing reported no new cases on Monday. However, Tianjin– a neighboring city– registered at least 80 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours.

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The Olympics open on February 4, just days after the start of Lunar New Year celebrations. Those associated with the sporting event — athletes, staff, journalists and officials– will be mandated to get tested for COVID daily and clear requirements to enter a closed bubble with no outside physical contact.

Beijing Daily reported Sunday that the capital will require travelers to take nucleic acid tests within 72 hours of entry starting January 22. Some schools in Beijing have also closed early and moved classes online ahead of the winter holidays.

(With AP inputs)