Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Photo:VCG

Beijing vows to make sure the upcoming 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games a successful sports event as scheduled. This comes as the city is scrambling to prevent the first local Omicron case from spreading, three weeks before the Games' opening. 

After reporting the capital city's first Omicron infection in the city's Haidian district, the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control on Sunday reiterated that protective facial masks should be worn in public venues as they remain "the most effective way to fend off the virus", even with the Omicron variant. 

The rule applies to all, including those who are fully vaccinated and also received a booster shot, the local CDC said, stressing that inoculation rate among elderlies aged 60 and above and children between the age of 3 and 11 should be accelerated.

Cai Qi, secretary of the Communist Party of China Beijing Municipal Committee and president of the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee, said on Saturday that closed-cycle management is the key to prevent COVID-19, where security, transport and other related services will be integrated within the cycle.

Cai also put forward a number of requirements for the Olympic event organization work. He said that the smooth venue operation is the key to successfully holding the event, and accuracy of weather forecasting should be improved. 

Winter sports are high-risk activities, he said, therefore it is necessary to require fully-prepared emergency teams to conduct emergency rescue when needed. 

Beijing will provide standardized and refined management services at the Beijing Winter Olympic Village, creating a "safe, warm and cozy athletes' home" and building a brand of "Beijing service" during the Games, Cai said. 

Coming amid China's most important occasion of the Spring Festival, the Beijing Winter Games will combine traditional Chinese festive elements to create a joyful holiday atmosphere. Meanwhile, staff and volunteers' well-being will also be ensured.

Cai stressed that city operation including the "city lifeline" of water, electricity, gas and heat must be guaranteed as well as the good urban environment, while trying to minimize the interruption of the Games on residents' daily lives, he noted.

Beijing authorities confirmed the new local COVID-19 case on Saturday to be of the Omicron strain. The patient has had no contact with any confirmed cases and hasn't left the city over the last 14 days. She reportedly visited one of the most popular shopping centers, the SKP, on January 2, according to a notice released by the SKP mall.

Global Times