SportsCoronavirusCOVID-19China

Stark Photos Show What Life Is Like Inside The Beijing Olympics COVID Bubble

Participants enter the so-called “bubble” from the moment they step off the plane in China for the Beijing Winter Olympics.
AP
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BEIJING (AP) — From the moment participants at the Beijing Olympics step off the plane, they enter the “bubble” — a system of strict containment measures that aims to keep the coronavirus at bay for the duration of the Games.

It all starts at the airport, where workers in full-body white suits lead athletes, their coaches and others through entry procedures, including the first of daily COVID-19 tests. Participants are only allowed to shuttle between Olympic venues and their accommodation, all on specially reserved buses. Everywhere workers spray disinfectant, while bubble residents track their temperature, stay alert for any symptoms and repeatedly test for the virus.

The goal? To keep those attending the Games completely separate from the wider Chinese population, all while keeping infections to a minimum inside the bubble.

At each hotel and venue, fences mark off a perimeter beyond which those inside the bubble cannot stray. Those inside peer out at a city they cannot visit. Those outside peer into an event they will experience only on television.

Pavel Golovkin via AP
An immigration officer checks documents at the Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 1, 2022, in Beijing.
Aaron Favila via AP
Workers wearing protective suits at the airport assist guests ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Natacha Pisarenko via AP
A worker prepares to administer a COVID-19 test at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Kiichiro Sato via AP
Airline crew are greeted by personnel dressed in protective gear as the plane arrives at the Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Kiichiro Sato via AP
An Olympic worker dressed in protective gear checks passport information from the members of the media before being transported to hotels.
Jae C. Hong via AP
Evening rush hour traffic is seen through the window of an Olympic shuttle bus ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Jeff Roberson via AP
Security personnel stand on the sidewalk near Wukesong Sports Centre hockey venue.
Jae C. Hong via AP
A worker in protective gear disinfects an Olympic shuttle bus.
Mark Schiefelbein via AP
A member of Team Japan arrives at the Olympic Village.
Kirsty Wigglesworth via AP
Olympic workers in protective gear walk through the Beijing Capital International Airport as they work to assist passengers ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Matt Slocum via AP
A worker erects barriers outside the Main Media Center at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
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