Jeff and Liam Mather, a father and son, haven’t seen each other in over two and a half years. The coronavirus pandemic, lockdown and travel restrictions divided them and each remained on a different continent. Liam Mather has lived and worked in Beijing for over five years, and his father in Toronto, their native Canada. But now they have met. They work together in a closed Olympic bubble.
“We both feel we were very lucky to have such an opportunity to see each other,” Liam told The Guardian, adding that many families remained divided during the pandemic. He himself works for a trading company in Beijing. He last visited his family in Canada for a short time in 2019. This has not been possible since the beginning of the pandemic.
His father works as a freelance journalist in Canada. As a director, he leads a team with which he travels mainly sports matches. This year’s Olympic Games in Beijing are the ninth he went to with the crew. “I must have hoped to see Liam,” he added.
But even before the Games themselves, China announced that the entire Olympics would take place in a closed “bubble” so that athletes from all over the world would not endanger the local population and vice versa. Athletes and journalists had to arrive in advance and demonstrate full coronavirus vaccination or spend three weeks in quarantine.
There was a danger that even if the two men lived in the same city of 12 million, they would not see each other. “But then there was an opportunity for Liam to join our staff, and he enthusiastically took the opportunity,” says Jeff Mather. He managed to coordinate everything with his son’s employer in Beijing, so together they looked forward to the start of the Winter Games.
“It was fantastic news not only because we should have seen each other after so many years, but also because we would be able to work side by side all the time,” says Liam’s father.
Before Jeff Mather set out, he had to be careful to take all necessary precautions. He also had a booster dose of vaccinations and, before leaving, made sure he didn’t meet anyone from whom he could become infected. “It was a lot of stress,” he admits.
The situation was not easy for Liam, who is used to strict rules in China. Especially before the start of the Olympics, the government tightened the measures and the authorities in the individual cities had the task of stopping any community transmission, which was also increased by the more contagious variant of omicron.
“The transition from everyday life in Beijing to this closed bubble is definitely bizarre. But I would say it’s quite effective and ultimately pleasant,” Liam said, adding that he and his father had managed to enjoy time together in isolation. .
During the day off, for example, they went to the mountains, where they coincidentally watched a snowboardcross race, so they could cheer on the Canadian competitor Meryeta O’Dine, who won a bronze medal. “It’s unbelievable that we finally succeeded, given all the circumstances,” adds Jeff Mather.
