People walk past the logos of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing on January 18, 2022. (Photo by Noel Celis / AFP)
Tickets for the Winter Olympics in Beijing will not be sold to the general public because of rising concerns about the spread of COVID-19, organizers announced Monday.
Instead, tickets will be distributed only to invited spectators, the Beijing organizing committee said in a news release.
“The organizers expect that these spectators will strictly abide by the COVID-19 countermeasures before, during and after each event as pre-conditions for the safe and sound delivery of the Games,” the news release read.
In September, the committee announced tickets would be sold only to residents of mainland China, nixing foreign visitors.
But things have changed since the omicron variant arrived in China recently, forcing lockdowns in other cities in an attempt to keep the variant from reaching the capital city. But over the weekend, authorities put an office building in Beijing on lockdown after one worker tested positive and was identified to be infected with the highly transmissible variant.
Opening ceremonies are scheduled for Feb. 4.