Coronavirus pandemic

Manila and 2 other urban areas remain in lockdown till end-May

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has extended a sweeping lockdown in Metro Manila and two other urban centres till the end of the month, even as restrictions that have so far led to massive job losses and a crippled economy are eased elsewhere.

"There will be areas that will remain on lockdown… We have to do this gradually, or risk falling down. We cannot afford a second or third wave… because we're not following rules," Mr Duterte said at a briefing aired yesterday.

"Covid-19 is very lethal," he stressed. "Don't gamble with your lives… It can go either way. You can go either to your funeral or you can just sleep at home. You don't have to die. Just follow the government's orders, and you will live."

His spokesman Harry Roque said Metro Manila would remain in lockdown for 15 more days.

Metro Manila, the capital region, spans 16 cities and is home to more than 13 million people. With the 15-day extension, its lockdown will be as long as that which recently ended in Wuhan in China, where the virus was first detected.

Apart from Metro Manila, Cebu City, a key gateway in central Philippines, and Laguna province, south of Manila, will also be in lockdown till at least the end of May.

These three areas account for close to 9,000 of more than 11,000 cases of infections recorded across the country. At least 726 people have died so far, of which 526 were in Metro Manila.

Lockdown restrictions will be eased for the rest of the Philippines after Friday.

Mr Roque said Metro Manila will be on "modified enhanced community quarantine".

Some companies, factories and processing plants will be allowed to reopen, but with only half their usual number of employees.

Trains, buses, jeepneys, taxis, ride-sharing services and motorised rickshaws can again hit the road. But they can take only passengers who are going on "essential runs", such as buying groceries and medicine, or heading to work.

Mayors can place districts in their cities still reeling from widespread transmission under "hard lockdown" - no one gets in or out, and all must stay at home.

Metro Manila has been effectively shut off from the rest of the Philippines and the world since mid-March.

All domestic flights and sea travel, except for those transporting essential goods, have been suspended.

Companies have wound down operations and sent their workers home, except for those in sectors such as food and medicine, utilities, banks, telcos and logistics.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez yesterday said up to 1.5 million workers have lost their jobs.

Mr Carlito Galvez, head of the Covid-19 task force, said the lockdown in Metro Manila would have to be eased soon, reiterating concerns raised by many local officials and businessmen.

"Government cannot endure the (enhanced community quarantine) for an extended period of time, as its resources are very limited. It has to balance health and the economy," he said.

Last Saturday, experts from the University of the Philippines warned that easing the lockdown in Metro Manila too soon could lead to at least 1,700 deaths by mid-June and 24,000 new infections.

A leading health expert and technical adviser to the government had earlier said the lockdown across much of the Philippines had succeeded in slowing the spread of the coronavirus, with recent numbers suggesting a "flattening of the curve".

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 13, 2020, with the headline Manila and 2 other urban areas remain in lockdown till end-May. Subscribe