Beijing 2022 eases Covid curbs for Games; China warns on pollution

Organisers of next month’s Beijing Winter Olympics slightly eased the strict Covid-19 requirements for participants, a move that means fewer athletes are likely to be tripped up by positive tests, although authorities also warned about seasonal air pollution. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the changes on Monday, which included easing the threshold for being designated positive for Covid-19 from PCR tests and reducing to seven days from 14 days the period for which a person is deemed a close contact. The changes, which take effect immediately and apply retrospectively, “have been developed in order to further adapt to the…