A ‘Zero Covid’ Olympics

<p>Reporters from The Times are joining athletes from around the world as they descend on Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics, where they are encountering the strictest and most wide-ranging health requirements ever attempted at an Olympic Games.</p><p>China’s leader, Xi Jinping, has made it his goal to keep the coronavirus out of the country as much as possible, and these requirements are an extension of his “zero Covid” strategy.</p><p>We ask what exactly is the zero-Covid strategy, and how long can it last? And we explore what life is like inside China’s Olympic superbubble.</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/amy-qin?smid=pc-thedaily">Amy Qin</a>, an international correspondent for The New York Times.</p><p>Have you lost a loved one during the pandemic? The Daily is working on a special episode memorializing those we have lost to the coronavirus. If you would like to share their name on the episode, please RECORD A VOICE MEMO and send it to us at <a href="mailto:thedaily@nytimes.com">thedaily@nytimes.com</a>. You can find more information and<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/03/podcasts/daily-memorial-covid.html"> specific instructions here</a>.</p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>Robots, swabs and a big gamble: One Times correspondent details what life is like<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/02/sports/olympics/bubble-covid-testing.html"> inside Beijing’s Olympic bubble</a>.</li><li>China holds the line on “zero Covid,” but<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/21/world/asia/china-zero-covid-policy.html"> some wonder for how long</a>.</li></ul><p>Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.</p>