Manila eases lockdown

Traffic jams and crowds of commuters returned to the Philippine capital on Monday, as Manilla relaxed antivirus measures in a high-stakes gamble to slowly reopen the economy while fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

Public transport was still limited, and many commuters waited for hours to get a ride despite the government deploying special buses.

School classes remain suspended for the next two weeks. Barber shops and beauty salons can open next week at a third of their capacity.

The Philippines remains a south-east Asian hotspot for Covid-19.

The Philippine health ministry on Monday reported three new deaths and 552 more confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

In a bulletin, the ministry said total deaths increased to 960 and confirmed cases reached 18,638, of which 3,979 have recovered.

The government on Monday eased strict quarantine measures in the capital, allowing millions of people to return to work and partially restart the virus-ravaged economy.

Manila’s measures were among the world’s toughest, on par with those of the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak first emerged, and stricter than curbs at the peak of the contagion in Italy and in Spain, bringing the economy to a sudden halt.

Via Reuters