Olympics-Beijing organisers report 21 new COVID cases, down from 55 a day earlier

Feb 3, 2022; Beijing, China; Health personnel wear full protective clothing during during Covid-19 testing measures for journalists and athletes on arrival at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Beijing Capital International Airport. Mandatory Credit: Andrew P. Scott-USA TODAY Sports

BEIJING (Reuters) -The number of new COVID-19 cases at the Beijing Winter Olympics more than halved on Thursday to 21 versus a peak of 55 a day earlier, according to Games organisers on Friday.

Fourteen cases were found among new airport arrivals, which included seven athletes and their accompanying personnel.

Another seven cases were among those in the "closed loop" bubble that separates all event personnel from the public.

Participants in Beijing are confined to a "closed loop" in order to prevent contact with the general public, moving between accommodation and Olympic venues on official transport.

Every Games participant is also tested on a daily basis in an effort to identify any infections within the loop quickly.

All Olympic participants are arriving on charter flights.

(Reporting by Ma Rong in Beijing and Chen Aizhu in Singapore; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Michael Perry)