SCIO briefing on overall progress in preparations for Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022
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E-mail China.org.cn, November 1, 2021
The Straits Times:
I have two questions. First, given how stringent your COVID-19 management of the Games is going to be, how much resources will be deployed? Will you pool resources from elsewhere of the country? Is this going to cause gaps in your COVID-19 management in other parts of the country? How will you ensure the Games are not disrupted by positive cases? My second question is about the open and closing ceremonies. Who and how many people will get to attend? And how will they be managed?
Zhang Jiandong:
Thank you. Your question is extensive. I will answer it in two parts. In terms of anti-COVID-19 measures, indeed, epidemic prevention and control is the biggest challenge for us. We should say that without a guarantee of safety, there would be no success in the Olympic Games. We have always put epidemic prevention and control at the top of our priorities.
During the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, we will adopt a series of comprehensive measures to minimize the risk of imported cases and ensure the health of all participants of the Games and the health of the people of the host cities. Our goal is to ensure the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics run safely and smoothly as scheduled. After consulting with the IOC and the IPC and extensively soliciting opinions of all stakeholders, we have formulated and released the first edition of a playbook for COVID-19 countermeasures. The primary purpose of the playbook is to ensure the safety and health of all athletes, participants and the Chinese public.
The playbook mainly focuses on the following aspects: First, we will strengthen remote monitoring measures to effectively reduce the risk of imported cases, including self-health monitoring for at least 14 days prior to departure for China and conducting COVID-19 nucleic acid tests as required. Second, we will implement strict vaccination policies. Third, we will implement strict closed-loop management upon arrival in China. Fourth, we will implement regular prevention and control measures throughout the Games. We have incorporated epidemic prevention and control for the Games into the local government's anti- epidemic system, which is an important feature. Cai Qi, secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, is also president of the BOCOG. He directs the anti-epidemic work of both Beijing and the Games. The epidemic prevention and control of venues and activities related to the Games have been integrated into the unified anti-epidemic management of the city for unified deployment of resources. All this will help provide a strong guarantee of safety for the Game and host city. Please be rest assured about that.
Next, I will brief you on the opening and closing ceremonies. The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games attract much attention at home and abroad. Adhering to the guiding principles of "simplicity, safety and excellence," we are preparing for the opening ceremony. The Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee has established an opening and closing ceremonies department, as well as a cast team consisting of members of different ages. Through hard work and cooperation with the IOC and the IPC, a creative plan has been approved. Production and rehearsals are being carried out in an orderly manner. As we know, the opening ceremony will be held at the National Stadium, or Bird's Nest. So, we set up an operation team at the Bird's Nest to organize and coordinate the opening and closing ceremonies. We will share specific information about the opening ceremony with friends from the media at a later time. I hope you will stay tuned. Thank you.
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