Less than two weeks before it begins, China is limiting the torch relay for the Winter Olympics to only three days. Organizers worry about spreading coronavirus along with the famed flame.

COVID-19 has already changed the Games: Only selected spectators will be allowed to attend the events. Olympic athletes, officials, staff, and journalists must stay within a “bubble” away from the general public.

Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the Lord will prevail.” This should be a comfort in times of disappointment. World events are unpredictable. Cherished plans change. God is still in control. Events happen—or alter or disappear—as part of His perfect will.

A handful of new COVID-19 cases have been recorded in Beijing in recent days. Therefore, officials will allow the travelling torch only in enclosed venues deemed “safe and controllable.”

Beijing’s deputy sports director, Yang Haibin, calls safety the “top priority.” However, venue preparations and the possibility of forest fires in Beijing’s cold, dry climate all factored into the decision.

The relay will run from February 2-4 in the three competition areas. Those are downtown Beijing, its suburb of Yanqing, and Zhangjiakou in the neighboring province of Hebei.

Participants in the torch rally will undergo health screens and be carefully monitored, says Xu Zhijun, deputy head of the organizing committee.

Outside of Beijing, several million people remain under lockdown as part of China’s “zero-tolerance” approach to dealing with the pandemic. New case numbers have dropped in recent days amid strict safety measures. Some experts credit the plan with preventing large outbreaks like the United States and other countries have had. Others worry that lack of exposure to the virus could harm the Chinese population’s ability to deal with future waves of infection.

The February 4 opening of the Games comes just days after the start of the February 1 Lunar New Year. That is China’s biggest annual celebration. Millions traditionally trek to their hometowns for family reunions. For the second year, train and plane travel has been curtailed. The government has advised those living away from home to stay put.

The 2022 Winter Games have also been beset by political storms.

Six weeks ago, the United States, Britain, and several allies said they would not send dignitaries to the Games. They are protesting human rights abuses by the Communist Party regime.

The organizing committee has threatened athletes with “certain punishments” for saying or doing anything that would offend their Chinese hosts. Several groups have urged anyone headed to Beijing to take “burner” phones instead of their personal devices.

Earlier this week, American broadcaster NBC announced it wouldn’t send announcers to China. NBC officials cite the same virus concerns raised last year when the network pulled most of its broadcasters from the Tokyo Games.

(An official holds a lantern with the Olympic flame during an event at the Beijing University of Posts and Communications in Beijing, China, on December 9, 2021. AP/Mark Schiefelbein)