From futuristic sleeping pods to robot bartenders, China is relying on technology to service those in the #Beijing2022 Media Center. Check out the #Covid19 virus measures Beijing is implementing at the #WinterOlympics with @rumireports.
Over the course of two months, tens of thousands of athletes and support personnel are expected to enter the bubble for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which spans parts of central Beijing.
To wall off nearly 22 million Beijing residents from the risks of Covid-19 that Winter Olympics athletes may bring with them, China has built a city within a city where no one can interact with those living outside, but where there is unrestricted internet access and meals served by robots.
Over the course of two months, tens of thousands of athletes and support personnel are expected to enter the bubble for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which spans parts of central Beijing, the capital’s outer Yanqing district and Zhangjiakou city in neighboring Hebei province. They’ll move around in the “closed-loop” system between competition venues, hotels and even bars connected by a dedicated transportation network.
China’s ambitious plan to entirely isolate the Olympics from the broader population underscores the gravity of the country’s insistence on maintaining a Covid-zero policy. With the highly infectious omicron variant breaching China’s borders in recent months and entire cities locked down in response, the country has also further tightened its Olympics restrictions, making a last minute decision to halt sales of tickets also to domestic spectators mid-January.
Organizers are taking no chances. The vehicles dedicated for the games will travel in and out of the loop via their own lanes, and local residents have been advised to stay away even in the event of an accident.
Inside China’s Olympic Bubble: Sleeping Pods, Meals Served By Robots
An attendant waits for a robot to finish making coffee in a waiting area.
To wall off nearly 22 million Beijing residents from the risks of Covid-19 that Winter Olympics athletes may bring with them, China has built a city within a city where no one can interact with those living outside, but where there is unrestricted internet access and meals served by robots.
Over the course of two months, tens of thousands of athletes and support personnel are expected to enter the bubble for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which spans parts of central Beijing, the capital’s outer Yanqing district and Zhangjiakou city in neighboring Hebei province. They’ll move around in the “closed-loop” system between competition venues, hotels and even bars connected by a dedicated transportation network.
China’s ambitious plan to entirely isolate the Olympics from the broader population underscores the gravity of the country’s insistence on maintaining a Covid-zero policy. With the highly infectious omicron variant breaching China’s borders in recent months and entire cities locked down in response, the country has also further tightened its Olympics restrictions, making a last minute decision to halt sales of tickets also to domestic spectators mid-January.
Organizers are taking no chances. The vehicles dedicated for the games will travel in and out of the loop via their own lanes, and local residents have been advised to stay away even in the event of an accident.
The largest group of Chinese residents that athletes and journalists will come into contact with are 19,000 volunteers, many of whom will remain inside the bubble for over three months. One of them is Lv Meixuan, a 23-year-old supervisor at the Main Media Center who said she got the position after going through a written test and several rounds of interviews at her university and with the organizing committee.
“I don’t have any concern with regards to catching the virus. Since the one month we have been inside the loop, we feel very safe,” she said. “I would switch masks four times a day and do hand-sanitizing all the time.”
Dashed Dreams
The Olympics isn’t the first time in the pandemic the Chinese government has set up strictly controlled spaces for a major event. Herman Hu, the vice president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, pointed out that during March’s National People’s Congress, the biggest annual political gathering in China, lawmakers gathering in Beijing were tested multiple times before and after their arrival. Attendees were not allowed to interact with anyone outside the meetings, and all support staff including hotel workers arrived two weeks prior to the start of the conference.
“China actually is very experienced in controlling this kind of pandemic. But of course, you know, doing sports, there are still certain risks,” Hu said.
The stakes for athletes are arguably much higher, however, and some have already experienced the heartbreak that comes with failing China’s Covid protocols.
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