Millions to return to lockdown in Manila as coronavirus cases surge

Thank you for your reading and interest in the news Millions to return to lockdown in Manila as coronavirus cases surge and now with details

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - Tens of millions of people in and around the Philippine capital will go back to a strict lockdown from Tuesday, threatening incomes and hopes for reviving a once dynamic economy as authorities take drastic measures to halt surging virus cases.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the Philippines was one of Asia's fastest growing economies, but tough restrictions from mid-March to May pushed it to the brink of recession, and hopes for a swifter recovery are looking bleak with the return of measures set to squeeze commerce.

The lockdown in Manila and nearby provinces is being reinstated for an initial two weeks after a prominent medical group warned the healthcare system could collapse from soaring Covid-19 cases that scaled new records on four straight days until Monday.

"It's a bitter but necessary pill given the plight of our medical frontliners," said Francis Lim, president of the Management Association of the Philippines.

"We hope the government will deep dive into our Covid-19 strategy and find more effective ways to execute it."

More than 18 million people worldwide have been infected with the virus since it first emerged in China late last year and it shows no sign of slowing down.

More than 27 million people on the main island of Luzon, including the capital Manila, went back into a partial lockdown for weeks from Tuesday.

People have been told to stay home unless they need to go out to buy essential goods, for exercise or for work after the number of recorded infections surged past 100,000.

With only 24 hours' notice of the shutdown, many found themselves stranded in Manila and unable to get back to their hometowns after public transport and domestic flights were halted.

"We've run out of money. We can't leave the airport because we don't have any relatives here," said Ruel Damaso, a 36-year-old construction worker trying to return to the southern city of Zamboanga.

"We will have to stay here for two weeks until we get our flights back."

A health worker takes a break outside Medellin's General Hospital in Medellin, Colombia. AFP

A clown wearing face mask poses for a picture before performing at Puente Piedra district, in the northern outskirts of Lima. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, circuses in Peru remain closed. AFP

Researchers work at the Institute for Scientific Research and High Technology Services, in Panama City, Panama. Scientists from Panama, Japan and India are studying the benefits of a food supplement derived from a Japanese fungus to strengthen the immune system of patients with Covid-19. EPA

People gather for a protest against plans to reopen schools in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in New York. EPA

An Indonesian pupil uses a smartphone while being home schooled by his mother, in Depok, West Java, Indonesia. EPA

Stranded workers wait for shuttle services following the suspension of mass transportation on the first day of the government's reimplementation of a stricter lockdown to curb Covid-19 infections in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Reuters

A woman conducts a spiritual cleansing on a client looking to improve her health and her economic situation due to the coronavirus outbreak, at the Sonora market, in Mexico City, Mexico. Reuters

Journalists interview a Spanish tourist upon arrival at Juan Santamaria airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, on the first commercial flight since the start of the covid-19 pandemic. EPA

Merchants chat in La Vega market in Santiago, Chile. AP Photo

US President Donald leaves a Covid-19 pandemic briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. Reuters

Jasmine Paolini of Italy touches rackets with Daria Kasatkina of Russia after their singles match during the 31st Palermo Ladies Open - Day One in Palermo, Italy. Getty Images

A man walks into an isolation ward to collect his belongings after recovering from Covid-19 in Machakos, Kenya. EPA

A restaurant offering take away food remains open during curfew in Fitzroy suburb in Melbourne, Australia. Bloomberg

Updated: August 4, 2020 02:55 PM

These were the details of the news Millions to return to lockdown in Manila as coronavirus cases surge for this day. We hope that we have succeeded by giving you the full details and information. To follow all our news, you can subscribe to the alerts system or to one of our different systems to provide you with all that is new.

It is also worth noting that the original news has been published and is available at The National and the editorial team at AlKhaleej Today has confirmed it and it has been modified, and it may have been completely transferred or quoted from it and you can read and follow this news from its main source.

PREV Putin and South Africa’s Ramaphosa discuss Ukraine, energy by phone, says Kremlin
NEXT Italy foreign minister urges ‘immediate ceasefire’ in Gaza