Beijing Olympics to Start in 1 Month — What to Know About the 2022 Winter Games amid COVID Pandemic

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Despite an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant worldwide, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are still happening and will start in exactly one month.

On Monday, International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told USA Today that he is "worried" amid the current pandemic and surge in coronavirus cases.

"I don't think these things are postponable," he explained. "In almost every respect the arrow has left the bow. They're going to start Feb. 4 and it would take a real upset of some sort to change that."

It will kick off with the opening ceremony on Feb. 4 in the Beijing National Stadium. But much like the Tokyo Summer Olympics, it will look different from past Games.

According to the playbook released by the IOC in October, all participants will be required to be tested for COVID-19 daily for the duration of the Games, regardless of vaccination status. Athletes will also be encouraged to wear masks and avoid crowded areas even if they are vaccinated, the playbook states.

RELATED: Beijing Winter Olympics to Implement 'Rigorous' COVID-19 Measures, IOC Says

Though the committee hasn't mandated vaccines in order to participate, the U.S. and Canada have made it a requirement for athletes.

A negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of arrival in China will also be required, and if not fully vaccinated, individuals will face a mandatory 21-day quarantine.

"We want everyone at the Games to be safe, that's why we're asking all participants to follow these guidelines," Christophe Dubi, executive director of the IOC, said in a statement at the time. "Keeping everyone healthy will ensure the focus remains on the very fundamentals of the Olympic and Paralympic Games – the athletes and the sport."

RELATED: Team USA Olympians and Paralympians Must Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19 to Compete in Beijing Games

In December, it was announced that two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin tested positive for COVID-19, weeks before her anticipated arrival in Beijing.

"I wanted to let you all know that I'm doing well, but unfortunately I had a positive COVID test. I'm following protocol and isolating, & I will miss Lienz. Best of luck to my teammates…I'll be cheering for you. Thank you all for your support. I'll see you in the new year," the 26-year-old alpine skier wrote on Twitter at the time.

In addition to Shiffrin, snowboarder Chloe Kim is another one of several athletes to look out for at the Olympics. The 21-year-old will be defending her gold medal on the half-pipe after she earned the top spot at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

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Nathan Chen, 22, who won bronze at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, will also hit the ice for his second Winter Games in February.

He previously told PEOPLE he's preparing to "be the best," but that "when it comes to the competition ... it's not about the destination, more about the journey, you know?"

Chen added, "I definitely feel like the more that I can focus on that sort of mindset, the better it is, the better set I am."

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At the Games, there are expected to be 109 medal events with seven new events, including men's and women's big-air freestyle, women's monobob, mixed team competitions in freestyle skiing aerials, ski jumping and snowboard cross as well as mixed relay in short-track speedskating.

The 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony will air the morning of Feb. 4 in the U.S., as Beijing is 12 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone. The program will be available to watch on local NBC stations as well as NBC Sports and streaming on Peacock.

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visit TeamUSA.org. Watch the Winter Olympics, beginning this February, and the Winter Paralympics, beginning this March, on NBC.

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