Beijing 2022 unveils first playbook for COVID-19 countermeasures

The first playbook that outlines anti-COVID-19 measures for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games has been published in Beijing on Oct 25.

The guidebook, jointly published by the Beijing 2022 organizers, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) offers separate versions for athletes and team officials as well as other stakeholders including the Olympic and Paralympic Family, media and broadcasters, International Federations (IFs) and technical officials.

As the playbook specifies, a closed-loop management system will be applied during Games participants' entire stay in China.

Participants can move freely inside the closed-loop area, traveling in dedicated vehicles between games venues and accommodation facilities, and between the three competition zones of Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, explained Huang Chun, deputy director general of the Pandemic Prevention and Control Office at the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee (BOCOG).

"The system will make sure everyone including athletes, press and other stakeholders in the closed-loop can perform the day-to-day activities essential to their roles during the Games, and at the same time separate them from the general public or anyone outside of the closed-loop," introduced Wang Quanyi, deputy director of Public Health Office of the Games Service Department of BOCOG.

"There will be food and beverages catered for culturally diverse backgrounds, licensed product stores, fitness centers and entertainment centers to ensure participants a comfortable stay inside the closed-loop," he added.

Wang went on to highlight some measures that Beijing will take to offer a good Games experience. For example, participants will not have to wait at the airport for their COVID-19 test results upon arrival. Instead, they will be transported to their accommodation and wait in their rooms, with results coming out in a maximum of six hours.

Meals in a variety of flavors and at different prices will be offered at the designated hotels that accommodate Games-related personnel, supplemented by vending machines to cover daily needs.

The closed-loop system will also allow Games participants to enter China without going through a compulsory quarantine if they are fully vaccinated, according to the playbook. Anyone not fully vaccinated according to the Playbooks will need to quarantine for 21 days upon arrival in Beijing. Exceptions may be granted for athletes and team officials on a case-by-case basis, based on medical reasons.

Games participants will need to download a health monitoring application 'My 2022' on their phones and start to report on their health at least 14 days before traveling to China.

Other principles, including minimizing social interaction, test, trace and isolate possible positive cases are also written in the document.

The second publication of the playbook series is expected to be released in December. "The first playbook is a general blueprint, it will be refined in the coming days," said Wang. "Detailed principles to each venue and hotel will be established based on their respective situations."