China detects 37 COVID cases at Beijing airport, 'closed loop' ahead of Winter Olympics

As Beijing prepares to host the Winter Olympics, China has detected 37 new COVID-19 cases among Olympics-related personnel on Sunday. Authorities have detected the cases in tests conducted at the Beijing International Airport and within the Winter Olympic Games "closed loop", Insidethegames.biz reported. A total of 28 positive cases were reported among Olympic-related arrivals. Eight COVID-19 cases detected at the airport involved athletes and team officials, while the remaining 20 were from other stakeholders.

China reported 34 new COVID-19 cases among personnel related to the Games on Saturday. Of them, 13 people are athletes or team officials and have tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving at the airport on Saturday, The South China Morning Post reported. The organising committee of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games has confirmed the development. The total number of COVID-19 cases since January 23 has now reached 139. Among the total number of coronavirus infections, 23 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 were among new airport arrivals and 11 people were already present in the “closed-loop” bubble that separates event personnel from the public, as per The South China Morning Post report.

It is pertient to mention here that China is organising the Winter Olympics with strict COVID-19 rules. As per the rules, all the participants of the event, including athletes and journalists, need to stay in a "closed-loop" bubble and they are not allowed to have contact with the people of China. According to the rules, all the participants need to take a PCR test every day and anyone who tests positive must isolate in a dedicated hotel. After testing negative in two PCR tests which have been conducted at least 24 hours apart, the person can leave the isolation. 

Lockdown in Anzhenli neighbourhood

It is pertinent to mention here that since the pandemic began, Chinese authorities have been conducting mass testing, imposing lockdowns and travel restrictions in the cities where COVID-19 cases have been reported. Beijing officials have informed that they have sealed off several residential communities north of the city centre after two COVID-19 cases were detected, AP reported. Lockdown has been imposed in the Anzhenli neighbourhood in Beijing’s Chaoyang district on Saturday, 29 January. 

COVID-19 tally in China 

According to the National Health Commission of China, as on January 31, 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps on the Chinese mainland had reported 12,565 cases of imported confirmed infections. So far, China has reported 106,073 COVID-19 cases in the country. The number of fatalities reported due to coronavirus is 4,636 and 99,500 people have recovered form the coronavirus.  

(With inputs from AP)