COVID-19 protocols take centre stage ahead of Beijing 2022
Health & safety measures, stringent testing regimes highlight leadup to Olympics
Welcome to the Beijing Winter Olympics, where COVID-19 tests are conducted from a gloved arm's length away.
With the Games opening Friday amid the latest crush of COVID-19's Omicron variant, health and safety measures are the top priority in Beijing.
All participants, from athletes and coaches to journalists and Olympic staff members are tested daily for the virus.
"The vast majority of people who are positive are well — a lot are asymptomatic," said Dr. Brian McCloskey, head of Beijing 2022's medical panel. "There have been 11 people hospitalized because they have a symptom. None of those are seriously ill in any way."
At one media hotel, journalists are tested at a small portable that resembles a streetside hot dog stand a short walk outside the hotel. The tester, dressed in white hazmat gear, is safely sealed inside the portable, while journalists step up to a window.
WATCH | CBC Sports' Devin Heroux, IOC's Dr. McCloskey discuss Olympic COVID-19 protocols:
The tester inserts their hands into giant gloves — like how arms are inserted into a baby's incubator. The tester then tugs on another set of surgical gloves for added protection before conducting a throat swab.
At the Tokyo Olympics last summer, reporters were tested every four days and photographers, due to their closer proximity to the field of play, were tested daily. There, journalists were required to spit into a vial, filling up the vial with saliva to a particular points. They then dropped the vial off at bins located at every venue.
"At the moment, we've seen no signs [of a spread] within the closed loop," McCloskey added.
As of Wednesday morning, just one member of the 414-member Canadian team, including athletes, coaches and team staff, was in COVID-19 protocols. The Canadian Olympic Committee says it won't reveal the names of the individuals affected.
With files from CBC Sports
