Keeping the Olympics Covid-free: life inside Beijing’s ‘closed loop’ bubble

The 11,000 foreign athletes, media crews and guests will be met at the airport by workers in biohazard suits

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Before Zhang Hua goes down for breakfast, he puts on a mask and rubber gloves. He leaves his hotel room, and walks through halls while keeping a safe distance from others. Then he boards a specially commissioned bus driven along dedicated lanes to his job assisting foreign broadcasters preparing for the Winter Olympics.

In the media centre he takes his daily Covid test, and might eat a meal delivered by a robot. Depending on where he's staying, Zhang may be allowed to visit his hotel gym later, or go to another hotel's restaurant, but otherwise this is the only journey he can take.