January 08, (THEWILL) – According to a top official with the World Health Organisation (WHO), there is no heightened risk of COVID-19 transmission during the planned 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing.
Michael Ryan, who is director of emergencies, said the WHO was “confident” in the COVID-19 countermeasures being implemented by Beijing 2022 and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which involve all athletes entering a “closed-loop management system”
The closed loop, under which all visitors arriving in Beijing will be subjected to daily COVID-19 testing and will be unable to communicate with the outside world for the duration of their stay, went into force earlier this week, just in time for the Games to begin on February 4.
“The Chinese authorities have very strict measures in place, and they’ve released a series of different playbooks,” Ryan said.
“We continue to review those playbooks with the IOC.
“I’m confident that, given the information we have, that the measures that are in place for the Games are very strict and very strong and we don’t, at this point, see any increased risk of disease transmission in that context.”
“We will continue to monitor the situation. But certainly at this stage, given the arrangements that have been put in place for the athletes by the organisers, we don’t perceive that there’s any particular extra-risk in hosting or running the Games.
“But obviously we will keep all of the measures that are being put in place under constant review,” Ryan added.
These assurances aside, however, the IOC has warned all Olympic athletes to be particularly cautious as they travel to China.
