Tickets for the Beijing Olympics will not be publicly sold due to COVID-19 and Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) – Tickets for the Winter Olympics, which begin on February 4, will be distributed to groups of people and will not be sold to the general public, organizers said on Monday in a recent setback. Games caused by COVID-19.

Organizers said in September that there would be no international spectators at the Games, according to COVID-19’s prevention policies that have closed China’s borders to international travelers.

COVID-19 mentioned in a statement on Monday that it was “serious and complex” and needed to protect the safety of its staff and spectators at the Olympics.

Local spectators who receive tickets must comply with the strict precautionary measures of COVID-19 before, during and after attending the Olympic events, the commission said. He did not provide further details or specify how the tickets will be distributed.

China, which has largely managed to reduce local COVID-19 infections, is making efforts to prevent the spread of widespread outbreaks of the highly infectious Omicron variant as the busy New Year’s travel period begins.

The Olympic Games, which will be held in the Chinese capital and neighboring Hebei Province, will be held in “closed circulation” and will remove athletes and other Games staff from the Chinese general public. Most participants will arrive on special charter aircraft.

Last month, the North American National Hockey League announced that its players would not participate in the Beijing Olympic Championships due to interruptions in the COVID-19 league calendar.