Beijing, Jan. 30 (BNA) – Officials in Beijing said, on Sunday, that they closed many residential communities north of the city center after discovering two cases of COVID-19 infection.
The Chinese capital is on high alert as it prepares to host the inaugural Winter Olympics Friday, reports The Associated Press.
The organizing committee said that 34 other cases of infection had been confirmed among athletes and others who attended the games.
In all, 211 people out of the more than 8,000 who arrived have tested positive by the end of Saturday. They include a Swedish cross-country skier and a snowboarder from Slovenia.
Everyone who comes to attend the Olympics is isolated from the general public for the duration of their stay in China in an effort to prevent transmission.
Residents of Anzhenli District in Beijing’s Chaoyang District were closed on Saturday, and they will not be allowed to leave their compound.
Briefing about the epidemic, officials said the city is also setting up 19 points in the area to test residents daily through Friday, according to the state-backed Beijing News.
While the number of cases is low compared to other countries in the region, China has doubled down on its “zero tolerance” policy, which is trying to break the chain of transmission as soon as it is detected.
Pang Xinghu, deputy head of the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said the Chinese capital reported a total of 12 cases of COVID-19 between 4 pm on Saturday and 4 pm on Sunday. All of these cases came from people who were already subject to some kind of epidemic control measures.
The city conducted multiple rounds of testing for millions of residents last week in the Fengtai District, where some apartment complexes were closed.
The participants in the games are accommodated in hotels surrounded by temporary walls. They can only come and go in special vehicles that will take them directly to other Olympic venues or facilities.
The public is not allowed on hotel property or venues, although a limited number of spectators will be allowed to enter the events.
Anyone who tests positive inside an Olympic bubble will be quarantined in a hospital or hotel, a quarantine to try to prevent the virus from spreading to other participants.
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