2022 Olympics tickets won't be available to the general public

BEIJING, China (NBC) – Tickets for the Winter Olympics set to begin on February 4th will be distributed to “targeted” groups of people and will not be sold to the general public due to COVID-19, the organizing committee said Monday.

Organizers had already said there would not be any international spectators at the games as part of China’s efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Monday’s announcement posted on the organizing committee’s website confirmed expectations that the winter games would have few onlookers at the venues under even more strict conditions than imposed during last year’s summer Olympics in Tokyo.

China has largely avoided major virus outbreaks with a regimen of lockdowns, mass testing for COVID-19 and travel restrictions, although it continues to fight surges in several cities, including the port of Tianjin, about an hour from Beijing.

The capital itself confirmed over the weekend that a 26-year-old woman had contracted the Omicron variant of the virus and has tested more than 13,000 people in search of cases of cross transmission.

In its statement, the organizing committee said its measures were intended to “create a pleasant environment for the holding of the games.”