BEIJING SNAPSHOT: ‘Close door’ — so much more than a button

By HOWIE RUMBERG
AP Sports Writer

BEIJING (AP) — At an Olympics in a pandemic run by an authoritarian state, the slightest bit of agency matters. Some stuck in Beijing’s closed loop found it in the elevator. The “close door” button. That button in so many elevators around the world that is more source of frustration than hurry-up tool works perfectly in many elevators around China’s capital. In an everyday world where so much is available at a tap of a button, you forget how satisfying the immediacy of acquiring things is – until that ability is taken from you. The “close door” button restores that faith.