Now Omikron: Olympia

The pandemic confronts the organizers of the Olympic Winter Games in Six weeks in Beijing according to their own words with tremendous pressure and challenges. The spread of the new virus variant Omicron Bring great uncertainty for the global COVID-19 situation, said Han Strong, Vice President of the Organizing Committee, on Thursday of the press in Beijing.

It is highly likely that a certain number of cases occurs during the games, as so many participants from all regions of the world and from China collapse, Han Strong said. The requirements of the Chinese authorities for the prevention against Covid-19 would have to be energetically implemented to maintain the security of the Olympia participants and the Chinese public.

Dynamic Null COVID-19 Strategy

Her appeal took place shortly after a Lockdown had been imposed on a million metropolis in China after a long time. As part of its strict zero-Covid policy, the authorities had massive starting locks for the 13 million inhabitants of Xi'an (Shaanxi Province). Since midnight, you can not leave your apartments anymore — except for a few exceptions. A family member may go shopping every other day. 63 infections were reported on Thursday. The outbreak go back to imported cases, it said.

China pursues a dynamic zero-Covid strategy, emphasized Han Strong, which is also General Secretary of the Organizing Committee. Whether new measures to be taken before or during the Games from 4 to 20 February, depend on the change in the situation worldwide and in China — especially from the contagion and harmfulness of the Omicron variant. We pay attention to the changes in the pandemic, said Han Strong. Only by remaining flexible, we can handle the risks and challenges that brings us the Corona Pandemic.

Strict precautions

For the games that take place in Beijing as well as in Yanking and Zhangjiakou in the hilly landscape in front of the gates of the capital, strict precautions are already taken anyway. All Olympia participants can only move in closed circular runs, have to be tested daily and are immediately insulated during an infection. Foreign viewers are not allowed. Whether and under what circumstances domestic audience can participate, according to Han Strong, it will be further explored. The plans would be proclaimed at the right time.

The Vice Director of the Office for Epic Camping of the Organizing Committee, Huang Chen, regretted the cancellation of the ice hockey professionals from the USA. Given the corona problems in US sports, rising infections and game payments, the NHL had decided the day before not to send their best players to China. This makes the biggest attraction of the winter games of the pandemic to the victim.

Huang Chen defended the planned strict measures such as isolation, quarantine and longer hospital stays in symptoms that were one of the reasons for the cancellation of the professionals. He also refused changes. We are convinced that these prevention and control measures will definitely be reduced the risk of spreading the viral disease. Also, the security of the athletes and other participants, the whole event and the Chinese population must be secured.

With strict measures such as starting locks, mass tests, forced fraternity, contact tracking and extensive travel and indication restrictions, China has largely got the virus under control. For more than a year, it has been significantly better ordered the pandemic in the most populous country than in many other nations. The daily life and the economy have long since normalized. But the infect ant delta variant caused several outbreaks — and now fear the omicron variant that spreads even faster.