Olympics Beijing Games torch relay confined to closed venues due to COVID

The Beijing Winter Olympics torch relay will be cordoned off from the public because of concern about the spread of the coronavirus, organisers said on Friday

The Beijing Winter Olympics torch relay will be cordoned off from the public because of concern about the spread of the coronavirus, organisers said on Friday, Qazet.az reports citing Reuters.

The relay involving 1,200 torchbearers will begin on Feb. 2 and wind up just two days later, on Feb. 4, when the Games open in the capital, Beijing, and neighbouring Hebei province.

"This torch relay will always prioritise safety," Yang Haibin, an official from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports told a briefing.

"Taking into account factors such as epidemic prevention ... the torch relay and ceremonial activities will be arranged in safe and controllable closed venues."

Beijing, the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Games, is on high-alert for the coronavirus after a handful of small outbreaks in various parts of the country that authorities have responded to with sweeping restrictions and mass testing.