China has imposed a lockdown in the Anyang, marking the third region to be restricted as another wave of COVID-19 has swamped the country. The move has now put nearly 20 million people inside their homes across the country.

Even though no timeline has been released by Chinese authorities so far about the new lockdown, media reports suggest that mass testing for COVID-19 would take effect in the city. Anyang is home to about 5.5 million individuals.

Also Read: China tests 14 million people at Tianjin, ‘gateway to Beijing’ after omicron cases found

The news comes as the 2022 Winter Olympics— scheduled to start on February 4– is on its onset. The international community has expressed concern about sending their athletes to China citing the COVID-19 outbreak. On the other hand, some countries have also called for a diplomatic boycott of the games.

Another 13 million people are locked down in the city of Xi’an and 1.1 million in Yuzhou, with restrictions imposed on the port city of Tianjin, only about an hour from Beijing.

A games official responsible for disease control, Huang Chun, said organizers are counting on the cooperation of athletes and officials to prevent an outbreak that could affect participation.

“If the mass cluster transmission happens, it will impact the games and the schedule for sure,” Huang said. “The worst scenario, if it happens, is independent of man’s will, so we leave our options open”, according to reports from Associated Press.

Also Read: Winter Olympics in Beijing will go ahead as planned: IOC

Hong Kong also announced the closure of kindergartens and primary schools after infections were reported in students. Schools are to close by Friday and remain shut until at least the Lunar New Year holiday in the first week of February.

The lockdown of Anyang followed the confirmation of two cases of omicron on Monday that are believed to be linked to two other cases found Saturday in Tianjin. It appears to be the first time omicron has spread in mainland China beyond people who arrived from abroad and their immediate contacts.