Tickets for the upcoming Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing will not be sold to the general public in response to Covid-19. Still, authorities will instead distribute it, the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee has announced on Monday.

"In terms of the grim and complex situation of epidemic prevention and control in order to protect the health and safety of Olympic personnel and spectators we have decided to change the original plan of public ticket sales," the committee said.

Groups of spectators will be invited on-site through the Games and will e required to "strictly comply with Covid-19 prevention and control requirements before, during, and after watching the Games."

In a statement on Monday, the International Olympic Committee said those in attendance will be residents of China's mainland who have the required "COVID-19 countermeasures."

The Beijing Winter Olympics are set to begin on February 4, before the Paralympic Winter Games start on March 4.

Fully vaccinated participants will be able to enter the closed-loop without quarantine, while those who aren't vaccinated will need to quarantine for almost 21 days upon arrival in Beijing.

Medical exemptions, considered on a case-by-case basis, may be granted to unvaccinated patients. Some countries, such as the US and Canada, have mandated that all team members be vaccinated.

During the Games, participants will be subject to daily health monitoring and testing and have no contact with the general public. 

Returning with a confirmed positive test will mean participants cannot compete or continue their roles in the Games; those who are symptomatic will stay at a designated hotel for their treatment, while those who are asymptomatic will be transferred to an isolation facility.