Chinese officials have shut down a third city after a COVID-19 outbreak among its residents.
The lockdown of Anyang, located in the northern Henan province of China, brings the total of quarantined residents to 20 million.
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The lockdown of Anyang, which houses 5.5 million people, was announced late Monday after two cases of the omicron variant were reported among the population, according to the Associated Press. Residents cannot go outside, and all stores have been shut down except those providing necessities.
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Chinese officials shut down another city over single-digit cases of COVID in the last few weeks. Yuzhou was shut down last week after three cases of COVID-19 in the city of 1.1 million. Officials also locked down Xi’an, home to 13 million, in December after more than 2,000 people were reported infected. Both cities were reportedly dealing with the delta variant and have not reported any instances of omicron.
Xi’an residents have not been allowed to leave their homes to get basic amenities, the BBC reports. While Chinese officials claim that they planned on delivering food directly to people’s homes, several residents have said on social media that they have not received any food.
The lockdowns are the broadest since the shutting down of Wuhan in early 2020 at the start of the pandemic. Since then, China has become restrictive whenever COVID is reported. Shanghai Disneyland went into lockdown in November after a single case of COVID-19 was reported among its 34,000 attendees.
Part of these extensive restrictions are in preparation for the Winter Olympics, reports the Associated Press. A Beijing official said they are counting on athletes and officials to prevent an outbreak.
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“If the mass cluster transmission happens, it will impact the Games and the schedule for sure,” he said. “The worst scenario, if it happens, is independent of man’s will, so we leave our options open.”
The port city of Tianjin is also facing scrutiny after 20 residents tested positive for COVID-19, including two cases of omicron.
