Olympic Covid restrictions are gone, but some athletes still self-quarantining

"Jessie Diggins, the team's top athlete, said the same rules apply if she's inside with her husband, who's staying not with Diggins at the Olympics, but with family. "He wants to protect my health, too. And he knows how important this is," America's most decorated cross country skier said. "And it's like, we've been waiting 10 years to have the rest of our lives together all the time, and not worrying about sickness. We can wait two more weeks. It's okay.""

"America's cross-country team, and some from Scandinavia, have dispensed with the Olympic village altogether and are renting out their own hotels, where they can avoid busy cafeterias and control who comes in and out. "We're pretty locked down trying not to get sick, and trying not to waste energy," said Ben Ogden, another star on the U.S. team. "But that's okay, because, like, we have six, seven of our best friends, like, that are inside the bubble.""

Most people have moved past pandemic-era masking, but some corners of the Winter Olympics still resemble Covid times. Many athletes are taking extra precautions to stay healthy, especially cross-country skiers who are highly susceptible to respiratory viruses. Members of the U.S. women's cross-country team wore masks in a packed news conference. Jessie Diggins described limiting contact with her husband to protect her health and delaying close contact for two weeks. Some teams have rented private hotels to avoid crowded cafeterias and control access. Other nations with smaller budgets continue to stay in the Olympic village.

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