SCIO press conference on pandemic prevention policies and relevant preparations for Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
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E-mail China.org.cn, December 27, 2021
South China Morning Post:
If infected cases are reported in the venues, how can the infections be prevented from spreading in Beijing and other cities? Thank you.
Huang Chun:
As we all know, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will be held amid the pandemic. The emergence of virus carriers or small clusters of confirmed cases is likely to happen. During the event, a large number of inbound and outbound visitors will gather here, so the risk of transmission is very high. We have formulated emergency response plans for any contingency. If positive cases appear, we will take the following measures. Individuals who remain symptomless will be quarantined in facilities set up in the three competition zones, which is different from common practice in cities where the positive cases are sent to hospitals. Individuals who display symptoms will be transferred to designated hospitals, such as Ditan Hospital in Beijing and the No. 1 People's Hospital in Zhangjiakou, both of which have rich experience in the treatment of infectious diseases. Athletes who test positive will definitely not be allowed to compete. They will be discharged from isolation in accordance with the discharge guidelines. Those who test positive but are asymptomatic will be tested every day, beginning 24 hours after the last test and then discharged after they provide two consecutive negative COVID-19 test results with at least 24 hours between the two samples and no other COVID-19 symptoms. They can return to their Games-time roles after recovery according to their conditions and the requirements of the competition. They will also be asked to adopt additional countermeasures. Those displaying symptoms in Ditan Hospital and other hospitals will only be discharged if the following conditions are met: their temperature returns to normal for three consecutive days; respiratory symptoms improve significantly; lung imaging shows significant improvement; and there are two consecutive negative COVID-19 tests with a sample interval of at least 24 hours. They also can return to their Games-time roles after recovery.
If a person tests positive for COVID-19, then they will undoubtedly have close contacts. We formulate close contact criteria during flights and competition in accordance with international standards such as those laid out by the WHO. In China's communities, close contacts will be quarantined in designated hotels for 21 days, however, at the Winter Olympics we will carry out a closed-loop management system. In a large loop, rather than doing daily testing once, a close contact should instead receive two tests, and live and eat separately. More specifically, we will arrange dedicated vehicles for close contacts to move freely between their locations of quarantine and the venues. If results are negative, then they can take part in the competition and continue working under certain conditions.
We as well as the general public place a lot of focus on the impact to society at large. Preventing infections within the closed-loop from spreading to communities in cities as much as possible is a red line, especially when faced with the severe acute Omicron variant. We will strictly apply the closed-loop management policy and requirements of daily testing to prevent the virus from spreading further.
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