The Beijing Winter Olympics torch relay will be closed to the public on Friday due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.

The relay, which will involve 1,200 torchbearers, will begin on February 2 and conclude just two days later, on February 4, when the Games start in Beijing and the neighboring Hebei province.

"This torch relay will always prioritise safety," Yang Haibin, a Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports official, said during a briefing.

"Taking into account factors such as epidemic prevention ... the torch relay and ceremonial activities will be arranged in safe and controllable closed venues."

Beijing, the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Games, is on high alert for the coronavirus following a handful of small outbreaks across the country, which authorities responded to with sweeping restrictions and mass testing.

All torchbearers must be immunized, and their health will be monitored for 14 days before the relay.

The relay route, which will be significantly shorter than previous ones, will include stops at China's most famous landmark, the Great Wall, as well as central Beijing's Olympic parks, the Summer Palace, and other locations such as the International Grape Exhibition Garden and Zhangjiakou Industrial Culture Park.

Only a limited number of public members will be permitted to observe the relay in person.

The torch traveled more than 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) in 121 days in preparation for last summer's Tokyo Olympics but was removed from public highways owing to the COVID-19 outbreak. The relay in preparation for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018 covered 2,018 kilometers.

In an October ceremony disrupted by human rights protestors, the candle for Beijing's Winter Games ignited Greece. continue reading

Beijing and the Hebei city of Zhangjiakou will host the Games from February 4 to February 20 inside a "closed-loop" to keep participants and spectators separate.

The Games' preparations have been hampered by COVID-19 and a diplomatic boycott of China by countries including the United States, over its human rights record. China claims this is a betrayal of Olympic principles and rejects human rights violations.