Inside China's Olympic Bubble: Sleeping Pods, Meals Served By Robots

Over the course of two months, tens of thousands of athletes and support personnel are expected to enter the bubble for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which spans parts of central Beijing.

To wall off nearly 22 million Beijing residents from the risks of Covid-19 that Winter Olympics athletes may bring with them, China has built a city within a city where no one can interact with those living outside, but where there is unrestricted internet access and meals served by robots. From futuristic sleeping pods to robot bartenders, China is relying on technology to service those in the #Beijing2022 Media Center.Check out the #Covid19 virus measures Beijing is implementing at the #WinterOlympics with @rumireportshttps://t.co/N94FOCWrHppic.twitter.com/N6f3pmbG1u

Over the course of two months, tens of thousands of athletes and support personnel are expected to enter the bubble for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which spans parts of central Beijing, the capital's outer Yanqing district and Zhangjiakou city in neighboring Hebei province. They'll move around in the "closed-loop" system between competition venues, hotels and even bars connected by a dedicated transportation network.

China's ambitious plan to entirely isolate the Olympics from the broader population underscores the gravity of the country's insistence on maintaining a Covid-zero policy. With the highly infectious omicron variant breaching China's borders in recent months and entire cities locked down in response, the country has also further tightened its Olympics restrictions, making a last minute decision to halt sales of tickets also to domestic spectators mid-January. 

Organizers are taking no chances. The vehicles dedicated for the games will travel in and out of the loop via their own lanes, and local residents have been advised to stay away even in the event of an accident.