A Pandemic Winter Olympics

The Winter Olympics will begin on February 4th in Beijing, China. This is Beijing’s first time hosting the winter games. Beijing hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008, making it the first city to host both events. Usually, millions of people attend the Olympics, but with the special circumstances, guests will be very limited.

Beijing has already laid out many elaborate precautions during the pandemic, but with the Olympics around the corner, safety is a higher priority than ever. So far, China has reported several positive cases among athletes. Positive cases result in being isolated and prevented from participating. No foreign visitors will be allowed to attend the games and only a few Chinese citizens will be allowed to attend, by invitation only. Participants do not have to be vaccinated, but the unvaccinated will have to quarantine themselves for three weeks once in China. Only those participating in the events will have access to hotels and transportation.

Over 2,000 people will be participating in the winter events. Foreign participants will be staying in hotels, guarded by police. They will be required to follow strict guidelines, such as not being allowed contact with unnecessary personnel. An app for participants will require them to answer questions about their health every day. When leaving for Beijing, participants will need to have two negative COVID tests before being cleared to go. Upon landing, workers in hazmat suits will give them another COVID test before they are moved to their hotel.

While you can’t watch the games in-person, you can still watch the Olympics on NBC at 6:30am ET. They will also be available on Peacock Premium. We are looking forward to watching!

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CHLOE DIEHM

Writer at The City Voice

Hey! I’m in the seventh grade at City. A few things I’m passionate about are animals, writing, spending time with my friends, photography, and music.