Beijing Games see 55 COVID-19 cases on Feb 2, highest daily tally

Twenty-nine cases were found among new airport arrivals

A total of 55 new COVID-19 infections were found among Olympic Games-related personnel on Feb. 2, the chair of the Beijing 2022 medical expert panel said on Thursday, the highest daily tally so far, Qazet.az reports citing Reuters.

Twenty-nine cases were found among new airport arrivals, Brian McCloskey told the International Olympic Committee session the day before the Games' official opening, while 26 were among those in the "closed loop" bubble that separates all event personnel from the public.

Since January 23, there have been 287 positive tests among Games-related personnel from a total of 610,000 tests.

"The numbers are very small," McCloskey said. He said once all participants arrived the numbers would start to drop.

"We are confident that the system will work. But we are not relaxed. We keep all measures in place," McCloskey said.

Participants in Beijing are confined to a "closed loop" in order to prevent contact with the general public, moving between accommodation and Olympic venues on official transport.