A look inside the 'closed loop' Olympic zone

From the moment participants at the Beijing Olympics step off the plane, they enter the “bubble” – a system of strict containment measures that aims to keep the coronavirus at bay for the duration of the Games.

Chinese paramilitary police walk in formation on the Olympic Green near the edge of the closed-loop area at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, Jan. 30, 2022.

It all starts at the airport, where workers in full-body white suits lead athletes, their coaches and others through entry procedures, including the first of daily COVID-19 tests.

An immigration officer checks documents at the Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing, China, Feb. 1, 2022.

Participants are only allowed to shuttle between Olympic venues and their accommodation, all on specially reserved buses.

A worker in protective gear disinfects an Olympic shuttle bus ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Zhangjiakou, China, Jan. 30, 2022.

Everywhere workers spray disinfectant, while bubble residents track their temperature, stay alert for any symptoms and repeatedly test for the virus.

Two security personnel in protective gear set up metal detectors at the main media center at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing, China, Jan. 24, 2022.

The goal? To keep those attending the Games completely separate from the wider Chinese population, all while keeping infections to a minimum inside the bubble.

Security guards wearing a mask and a shield as protection against coronavirus stand in front of a hotel inside the closed loop at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, Feb. 1, 2022.

At each hotel and venue, fences mark off a perimeter beyond which those inside the bubble cannot stray.

A worker erects barriers outside the Main Media Center at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing, China, Jan. 31, 2022.

Those inside peer out at a city they cannot visit. Those outside peer into an event they will experience only on television.

Olympic workers in protective gear walk through the Beijing Capital International Airport as they work to assist passengers ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, in Beijing, China, Jan. 31, 2022.

A woman outside the fenced-off closed-loop area for the Olympics takes a picture of the Olympic Green ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing, China, Feb. 1, 2022.

A security personnel stands guard at a closed loop bubble area, ahead of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, in Beijing, China, Feb. 1, 2022.

An Olympic worker dressed in protective gear checks passport information from the members of the media before being transported to hotels from the Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing, China, Jan. 30, 2022.

A woman takes picture of the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, outside a closed-loop area which is separated by a fence, ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, Feb. 3, 2022.

Airline crew are greeted by personnel dressed in protective gear as the plane arrives at the Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Jan. 30, 2022, in Beijing.

A chef wearing a mask and a face shield as protection against the coronavirus cooks in the restaurant of a hotel inside the closed loop at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, Feb. 1, 2022.

A medical worker, wearing a full-body suit as protection against the coronavirus, walks to a testing station in a hotel inside the closed loop at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, Feb. 1, 2022.

A staff member wearing a suit as protection against the coronavirus keeps watch outside guest rooms in a hotel inside the closed loop at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, Feb. 1, 2022.

A worker prepares to administer a COVID-19 test at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing, China, Feb. 2, 2022.

A security checkpoint is pictured at Zhangjiakou cluster train station inside a closed-loop area designed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Zhangjiakou, China, Jan. 25, 2022.

A member of Team Japan arrives at the Olympic Village for the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing, China, Jan. 30, 2022.

A staff member wearing a mask and a face shield as protection against coronavirus disinfects tables at a cafe in a hotel inside the closed loop at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, Feb. 1, 2022.

Workers wearing protective suits at the airport assist guests ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing, China, Feb. 1, 2022.

Chinese railway staff is pictured inside the high-speed trains to the mountain area at Qinghe railway station inside a closed-loop area designed to prevent the spread of coronavirus ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, Jan. 25, 2022.

Evening rush hour traffic is seen through the window of an Olympic shuttle bus ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing, China, Jan. 25, 2022.

A waiter wears personal protective equipment (PPE) in a restaurant of a closed-loop hotel designed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, Jan. 31, 2022.

Members of Team Norway stand for photographs after entering the gate of the Olympic Village ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing, China, Feb. 1, 2022.

A woman grabs her lunch delivered to her robotically in the media dining area of the main media center ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing, China, Feb. 2, 2022.

A guard opens the gate as an Olympic shuttle bus pulls into a hotel walled in by fences ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing, China, Jan. 29, 2022.

Two security personnel are seen through fences outside the main media center at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing, China, Jan. 26, 2022.

A worker wearing a protective suit sprays disinfectant at a screening checkpoint for arriving athletes at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Yanqing district of Beijing, China, Feb. 1, 2022.

A medical worker enters a hotel room to take a swab sample for a COVID-19 test head of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Yanqing district of Beijing, China, Feb. 2, 2022.