Stricter coronavirus countermeasures are being put in place at the camps where athletes are making their final preparations prior to representing the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) at the Games.

Under the new measures, athletes, coaches and support staff will undergo a polymerase chain reaction test upon arrival at the training base before going into quarantine to wait for their result.

Once they have received their negative test result, those inside the camp will be unable to leave until they depart to Beijing for the Games, scheduled to open on February 4.

The move comes amid concerns over the high transmissibility of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

COVID-19 cases are surging in Russia with the nation confirming 31,252 new infections yesterday - its highest daily figure since December 6.

"In connection with the spread of a new strain of coronavirus, we have decided to strengthen sanitary and quarantine measures, switch to a closed mode of operation at all bases, where the most important, final stage of preparing the Russian team for participation in the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing is underway," Matytsin told Russia's official state news agency TASS.

"The most important thing for us is the health of athletes, as well as coaches and specialists who prepare for the Games.

"The measures taken are aimed at eliminating the risk of diseases within our team.

"We are constantly monitoring the situation and are ready for a prompt response to any changes."

Matytsin claimed that "most" of the country’s delegation had been vaccinated against coronavirus and urged athletes to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols.

"I hope that all our athletes will be healthy and will go to the Games in Beijing in a great mood," added Matytsin.

Alexei Zhamnov, head coach of the Russian ice hockey team, has been forced to miss his side’s training camp in Novosibirsk after testing positive for COVID-19, according to TASS.

Despite the setback, Russian Ice Hockey Federation President Vladislav Tretiak backed the measures that had been implemented.

"Of course, all this is reflected in the preparation plans for the Games, but our task as the Russian Ice Hockey Federation is to minimize the impact of such factors and try to avoid unpleasant surprises immediately before the Olympics or already in Beijing," Tretiak told TASS.

"The epidemiological situation around the world is very difficult, which is why it was decided in advance the decision to make testing multi-stage.

"As we now see, the decision was the right one, we need to make sure that every member of the team is healthy.

"This decision was also made in order not to put at risk athletes from other sports who are already in Novogorsk."

Beijing 2022 has implemented a "closed-loop management system" in a bid to combat the threat of COVID-19.

Once within the loop, people will undergo daily testing for COVID-19 and will be unable to access the outside world for the duration of their time in Beijing.

Unvaccinated participants must complete a three-week quarantine before they are allowed to travel to approved locations.

Beijing is due to host the Winter Olympics from February 4 to 20, with the Paralympics scheduled to follow between March 4 and 13.

Russian athletes will compete as ROC in Beijing as part of sanctions imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency against Russia in December 2018 in connection with the manipulation of data from the Moscow Laboratory.