Anti-COVID measures adjusted for Paralympic athletes

China Daily

27th November 2021

Anti-COVID measures adjusted for Paralympic athletes

The COVID-19 epidemic control measures of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games have been adjusted to the specific needs of the athletes, such as allowing people to temporarily remove their masks in venues when communicating with hearing-impaired athletes so they can read their lips while keeping a safe distance, a public health official of the organizing committee said.

"To prevent the spread of COVID-19, we don't encourage coaches to communicate with athletes competing in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics by shouting. But such behavior is allowed during the competition of visual-impaired para-athletes," said Wang Quanyi, deputy director of the public health department of the Beijing 2022 organizing committee's Games services department.

Although the epidemic control measures of the Beijing Winter Paralympics will be as strict as those adopted in Beijing Winter Olympics, adjustments have been made to accommodate the special needs of para-athletes, Wang said at a news conference held in Beijing on the final preparations of the Beijing Winter Paralympics, which will be held from March 4 to 13.

"Although a strict mask-on policy will be enforced in venues during both Games, we allow people to briefly remove their masks when communicating with hearing-impaired athletes who are used to read lips or facial expressions. But they have to keep a safe distance and put the masks on immediately after the conversation," Wang said.

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