Beijing has reported three new Covid-19 cases as officials said the virus situation is under control with the Winter Olympics set to open later in the week.

The three cases reported in the 24-hour period from Tuesday to Wednesday all involved people under some sort of quarantine.

“The current pandemic situation in the capital is overall controllable and it’s headed in a good direction,” said Xu Hejian, a spokesman for the city government, at a daily press briefing. “Beijing is safe.”

The Chinese capital has been on high alert as it prepares to host the Winter Games from Friday.

Since January 15, Beijing has reported 115 locally transmitted cases of Covid-19, including six cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant.

In response, the city has mass tested millions of people and sealed off several neighbourhoods in different parts of the city while avoiding a strict lockdown for the entire capital.

The restrictions meant that many families had to spend the Lunar New Year holiday cooped up in their homes.

Local government officials and volunteers sent families packages of fruit, milk and nuts, according to Beijing News, a city-backed newspaper.

China has been able to keep the virus from transmitting widely within its borders through a costly and strict strategy that relies on lockdowns and mass testing.