Beijing, Jan. 11 (BNA): A third Chinese city has locked down its residents due to the outbreak of COVID-19, bringing the number of people confined to their homes in China to nearly 20 million.
It was not clear how long the lockdown of Anyang city, which has a population of 5.5 million, would last, as a notice said it was made to facilitate mass testing but did not indicate if it would end when testing is complete, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Another 13 million people were locked down in Xi’an and 1.1 million in Liuzhou.
Anyang’s closure followed the confirmation of two omicron cases on Monday that are believed to be linked to two other cases found on Saturday in the city of Tianjin. This appears to be the first time that omicron has spread in China beyond people arriving from abroad and their direct contacts.
Residents are not allowed to leave their homes, non-essential vehicles have been banned from the streets and stores have been ordered to close except for those selling essentials, according to a city notice published by state media late Monday.
Xi’an and Yuzhou are battling the delta variant and neither has reported any cases of omicron. About 2,000 people have been infected in Xi’an, an ancient capital that includes the ruins of the Terracotta Warrior, in the largest outbreak in China.
MI