Beijing authorities have suggested that the city’s residents work from home when possible during the Winter Olympics and Paralympics Games, due to take place from February 4-20 and March 4-13 respectively.
At the very least, residents should be “flexible” when it comes to going into the office.
The announcement was made at a press conference on January 14.
It was also stressed that when traveling around the city, residents should use public transport where possible.
Why?
In case you hadn’t noticed, the air in Beijing can sometimes be polluted. And, while the situation has got better in recent years, authorities want to do all they can to make sure Beijing’s air is not heavily polluted during the Games.
In addition to the suggestion of environmentally-friendly travel, it was also announced at the press conference that on heavily polluted days, cars with certain license plate numbers would be banned from the capital’s roads. A similar measure was implemented prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The city’s roads will include lanes designated for Winter Olympic vehicles. On the Jingli highway, the lane will be in operation 24 hours per day. Meanwhile, lanes on other roads will be in operation between the hours of 6am and midnight. The measures will be in place on 42 roads from January 21 until February 25 and on 29 roads from February 26 until March 16, as reported by Guangming Daily.
An example of a designated Winter Olympic lane in Beijing. Image via Weibo/@气象唐海林
Earlier reports informed the capital’s residents that they should keep their distance from vehicles designated for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, and should not assist in the event of a traffic accident. This is because people onboard the vehicles will be part of the Games’ closed-loop environment implemented as a result of COVID-19.
READ MORE: Beijing's Winter Olympics Warning as COVID-19 Wave Hits China
As the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympics Games approach, Beijing has implemented a closed-loop environment for all relevant Games personnel, and requires anyone entering the city from elsewhere on the Chinese mainland to show proof of a negative nucleic acid test result issued within 48 hours.
China is currently battling COVID-19 outbreaks in a number of places across the country.
[Cover image via Pixabay]
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