COVID-19 updates: US daily death average falls below 2,000 for 1st time in month

The COVID-19 infection rate at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was 0.01%, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said Monday.

Since Jan. 23, more than 1.8 million COVID tests were performed, and 437 people tested positive, according to a press release.

Of those positive tests, 98 were among athletes, 87 were among team officials and the remaining 252 were among "stakeholders."

Bach said in a statement that the closed-loop system used by the Games "has been one of the safest places on this planet, if not the safest."

“The message to the world is that, if everybody is respecting the rules in solidarity, you can even have such a great event like the Olympic Games under the terms of a pandemic," the statement continued.

Australia welcomed back international travelers Monday after the country reopened its borders for the first time in nearly two years.

The country had banned most non-residents without travel exemptions from visiting since March 2020.

"From 21 February 2022, all visa holders who are fully vaccinated for international travel purposes can travel to Australia without a travel exemption," according to a statement from the government's Department of Home Affairs.

"Unvaccinated visa holders will still need to be in an exempt category or hold an individual travel exemption to enter Australia," the statement continued.

According to Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan, 56 international flights will arrive in Australia Monday, including from the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Japan.

New York health officials announced the state will delay enforcement of its booster requirement for health care workers in an effort to avoid potential staffing issues.

The mandate had been scheduled to go into effect on Monday.

"While we are making progress with 75% of staff received or are willing to receive their booster, the reality is that not enough healthcare workers will be boosted by next week's requirement in order to avoid substantial staffing issues in our already overstressed healthcare system," State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said in a statement on Friday. "That is why we are announcing additional efforts to work closely with healthcare facilities and ensure that our healthcare workforce is up to date on their doses."

In three months, the state will reassess whether additional steps will be needed to increase booster uptake among healthcare workers, officials said. The original vaccination requirement for healthcare workers remains in effect.

"The vaccine and booster are critical tools to keep both healthcare workers and their patients safe, and we continue to urge everyone to get vaccinated and receive a booster dose when eligible," Bassett said.

The state said it will work closely with hospitals to increase booster rates among healthcare workers.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulous