China locks down a city of 1 million people over 3 cases of COVID-19

• China locked down a city of 1 million people after three cases of COVID-19 were discovered.
• Yuzhou, in central China, has shuttered schools, malls, and public transportation.

A city of 1 million people in the central Chinese province of Henan has been forced into lockdown after three cases of COVID-19 were confirmed, according to multiple reports.

Yuzhou's 1.2 million residents will have to remain in their homes after the three asymptomatic cases were found over the last two days, CNN reported on Tuesday.

Schools, malls, and public transportation are all shut down, the report said, while essential businesses like supermarkets and energy plants remain open.

Those who work in the essential services will have to provide a negative COVID-19 test to show up, the report said.

The decision "to curb and quash the epidemic within the shortest amount of time is a high-priority political task," government officials said, according to a BBC report on Tuesday.

Tuesday's lockdown follows another two instances from last December, where the cities of Xi'an and Dongxing were both hit with movement restrictions, Insider's Cheryl Teh reported at the time.

The latest COVID-19 lockdown in China comes just one month before the Beijing Olympics are set to take place.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters on Tuesday that China is trying to mitigate potential spread of the virus ahead of the Games with "epidemic control measures," made with the "latest COVID-19 scientific research, expert opinions and the experience of other international competitions."

"These countermeasures are aimed to effectively reduce the risk of COVID-19; ensure the safety of and convenience for athletes and all Olympic and Paralympic participants during the Beijing 2022 Games; and protect the health and safety of the local population," he said.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases in the United States continue to skyrocket, with a record-shattering 1 million new cases reported on Monday alone.