Days ahead of Winter Games, China reports 43 new COVID-19 cases among Olympic personnel

On Sunday, the Beijing 2022 Winter Games organizing committee announced 34 new cases of COVID-19 among individuals who are part of the Olympic games, including some athletes. 

The committee says the infected include 13 athletes or team officials who had arrived in Beijing for the Games and tested positive at the airport. One of them is Polish medal hopeful speed skater Natalia Maliszewska. She and three of her speed skating teammates, Natalia Czerwonka, Magdalena Czyszczon and Marek Kania, have gone into isolation. 

According to the committee, 11 of the infected were people who were already inside the “closed loop” COVID-19 bubble Beijing has put in place, which is designed to keep any Olympic personnel or those related to the Games from coming into contact with the public.

The loop allows athletes and representatives to travel to and from their accommodations to their event locations, but not to interact freely in the city of Beijing. All participants and those associated with the Games will also be tested daily.

The COVID-19 protocol for the Winter Olympics states athletes who test positive but show no symptoms can come out of isolation after they show two consecutive negative tests 24 hours apart. Maliszewska may or may not make it out of isolation in time to compete. The opening ceremony is set to begin on Friday.