Restrictive coronavirus countermeasures seem to be working at Olympics
LA TimesA worker wearing protective gear collects swab samples from tables and chairs for COVID testing at the main media center of the 2022 Winter Olympics on Feb. 10 in Beijing. Organizers reported nine new coronavirus cases Thursday, the third consecutive day that positive tests have been in the single digits. “We like that, but it does not mean we are comfortable because we can never be comfortable with coronavirus.” The U.S. team reported no new positive tests among its 550-plus person delegation Thursday. Disinfecting robots roam hotels, plastic dividers separate each person in dining rooms, plastic gloves must be used at buffets, venues have isolation rooms in case someone tests positive, staffers in hazmat suits are commonplace, and sensors automatically scan each person’s temperature at entrances. “I feel like they’ve thought of everything, to be honest, from a sanitation and disinfection standpoint,” U.S. Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin said last week.