China cancels Olympic ticket sale plan, says Omicron may have arrived in Beijing with the mail
CBSN
Beijing — China on Monday canceled plans to sell tickets to the public for the Winter Olympics in Beijing, as the number of COVID-19 cases in the country reached its highest since March 2020. Organizers said last year there would be no international spectators at the Games — partly due to China's weeks-long quarantine requirements — but they had promised to allow domestic audiences. Those plans were scrapped on Monday as China reported 223 new infections just three weeks before the Winter Olympics are set to open.
"In order to protect the health and safety of Olympic-related personnel and spectators, it was decided to adjust the original plan to sell tickets to the public and (instead) organize spectators to watch the Games on-site," the Beijing Olympic organizing committee said in a statement.
It is unclear how these spectators will be selected and whether they will have to quarantine before or after the Games.
