Safety first approach is big Winter Olympics winner

Editor's note: In a series of reports titled "Legacies of the Games", China Daily explores changes brought to the country by the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. This is the second part of the series.

Beijing's efforts to combat pandemic attract widespread praise

The Winter Olympics flame was extinguished in Beijing on Feb 20, capping Games that will be remembered not only for the thrill and emotion of competition, but also for a sense of security essential for any sporting event, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thanks to joint efforts in devising and enforcing a closed-loop management system aimed at stemming the spread of the novel coronavirus, no major outbreak was reported at Olympic venues and no cases elsewhere in China were traced to the Games.

Officials and experts said the Beijing Winter Olympics provided valuable experience in hosting a major sporting event during a pandemic and demonstrated a feasible and safe way to resume international travel and communication.

In Shanghai, Zhang Wenhong, head of the infectious disease department at Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, said: "The virus containment wisdom offered by Beijing 2022 satisfied people's desire to interact with each other, which had long been constrained by the pandemic. The effects of such wisdom have proved surprisingly good."

Zhang said China managed to strike a balance between preserving its hard-won virus control outcomes and moderately reopening cross-border travel for better links with the outside world.

"Before the pandemic is completely brought under control …these experiences are expected to be applied to international exchanges in the political, economic and academic arenas," Zhang added.