China announced that they will not be selling tickets to next month’s Beijing Winter Olympic games as COVID-19 cases are surging in the nation.
"The organizers expect that these spectators will strictly abide by the COVID-19 countermeasures before, during and after each event as pre-conditions for the safe and sound delivery of the Games," the Beijing 2022 organizing committee said in a statement.
The Winter Olympics start February 4 and the Paralympics begin March 4.
"In terms of the grim and complex situation of epidemic prevention and control [and] in order to protect the health and safety of Olympic personnel and spectators, we have decided to change the original plan of public ticket sales," the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee announced Monday.
The games won’t be completely sans fans as groups of spectators will be invited throughout the Olympics and will be required to "strictly comply with COVID-19 prevention and control requirements before, during and after watching the Games."
The International Olympic Committee said those in attendance will be residents of China's mainland who have taken the required "COVID-19 countermeasures.”