China, where the pandemic was first detected at the end of 2019, has largely eradicated the disease by resorting to very strict screening, tracing, containment and vaccination measures.

Its borders were practically closed in March 2020 and international flights drastically reduced.

In order to accommodate the 3,000 athletes and their support staff for the Winter Olympics (February 4-20), a health bubble has been set up, to avoid any contact between people from abroad and the population. local outside this area.

On Tuesday, this "closed loop" was officially instituted, before the arrival of the first foreign participants.

Barriers kept passers-by at a safe distance from facilities planned for the Games, such as the "Bird's Nest", the Olympic stadium where the opening ceremony will take place.

Workers install barriers around the Olympic Park in Beijing on January 4, 2022, as part of the anti-Covid health bubble, set up around the sites of the Olympic Games Noel Celis AFP

"Inside the closed loop, we are going to put in place very strict health measures, including daily tests for Covid, to ensure that cases of contamination are quickly detected", explained to AFP Zhao Weidong, communications manager of the organizing committee.

All foreign participants must be vaccinated, the others being subject to a 21-day quarantine.

"We also strongly recommend receiving a booster dose," Zhao said in an interview with AFP before the bubble was put in place.

"We are closely monitoring the new Omicron variant and its global impact," he added, adding that he is in close communication with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) "to ensure that there will be room for maneuver in countermeasures depending on the epidemic situation ".

The Chinese athletes and staff inside the bubble (volunteers, drivers, cooks ...) will not leave until after the Paralympic Games (March 4 to 13), after a period of quarantine.

Spectators (only people residing in China will be allowed) will not enter the bubble.

When moving from one site to another, foreign participants will remain separated from the local population, for example with reserved cars on the high-speed train leading to the ski slopes.

© 2022 AFP