traveling to china is nearly impossible due to the pandemic and the government is barring most ordinary people from attending, all of which means that the stadiums and other venues are essentially tv studios, beaming out sports that are being played in front of near empty arenas. the covid situation in china is a metaphor for one of the problems plaguing the country, its government's rigidity. china handled the initial outbreak of covid brutally but they effectively, achieving what in some ways is the world's most successful pandemic containment strategy. the country has under 5,000 reported covid deaths, compared to america's -- putting aside the possibility of underreporting -- the difference is staggering. but as many experts have noted, china now faces a real covid nightmare. omicron spreads so easily and fast that pursuing a zero covid policy is like putting a finger