IOC gives high praise for COVID-19 prevention and control at Beijing 2022

Special: 2022 Winter Olympics

Two positive COVID-19 results related to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games were reported on Tuesday, one from arrival test and the other in the closed-loop, the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee (BOCOG) announced on Wednesday.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has highly praised the pandemic prevention and control at the Games, which has seen no more than 10 new COVID-19 cases reported inside the closed loop since Feb. 6, including a zero on Feb. 13.

"I think we sometimes forget we are actually in the middle of a global pandemic. And we are hosting probably one of the most complex international competitions or events in the world very successfully," said IOC spokesperson Mark Adams. "So we are not complacent. The Games are not over yet."

"We're now making sure that everyone can leave safely. That's also a huge logistical challenge. But I would take my hat off to our Chinese friends and colleagues first. Really great work," he added.

Huang Chun, deputy director-general of the Office of Pandemic Prevention and Control of BOCOG, attributed the effective control to scientific and practical countermeasures introduced in the Playbook, timely adjustment on the countermeasures and the full cooperation of related personnel.

"We are seeing very few numbers of confirmed positive cases. We are taking very stringent COVID-19 measures," he said. "The Games is still going on and we are optimistic but we still need to be very careful. The success of the countermeasures means the success of the Games."

"IOC and IPC (International Paralympic Committee) and Beijing Olympic Committee worked very closely together in developing the Playbooks. All of the scientists and doctors in China and across the world were following very closely the development of the pandemic and we are making very careful analysis of each one of the cases and we are making a judgment of the development of a trend of COVID-19 within the closed loop and will make adaptive measures," he continued.

"It's also because everybody has been following the Playbook strictly, taking measures and taking the PCR tests every day and so these are the result of the joint efforts of everyone," Huang added.