Philippines extends partial COVID-19 curbs in Manila until Sep 30
01 September, 2020
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday (Aug 31) partial restrictions around the administrative centre Manila will be kept for another month starting Sep 1 to tackle a rising number of coronavirus cases and additional expand hospital capacity.
Duterte announced your choice in a late night televised address following the health ministry reported another 3,446 new cases of the coronavirus and 38 fatalities that day, taking its total count to 220,819 cases with 3,558 deaths.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque said the daily reported cases "remains high," citing a have to intensify anti-COVID-19 measures to slow the infection rate, which may be the highest in Southeast Asia.
Enough time for cases to double has slowed to 12 to 13 days from seven days, Duque said.
Carlito Galvez, a former military chief responsible for the national coronavirus task force, said the government was attempting to boost hospital capacity and would add 1,000 beds in Manila and near by provinces, which take into account the majority of the cases.
"We have to strengthen treatment facilities, especially ICU (intensive care units), given the possibility of an increase in severe cases after we further open the economy," Galvez said through the task force's meeting with the president.
Manila ended reimposed strict lockdown measures on Aug 19 to improve business activity and the economy which fell into recession for the very first time in 29 years with an archive slump in the next quarter.
Most businesses, including dine-in services will be permitted to reopen, Harry Roque, Duterte's spokesman said. Religious services will still be permitted with a maximum attendance of 10 people.
People must also wear masks in public areas and observe one-metre social distancing, while children, the elderly and women that are pregnant are urged to remain in the home, Roque said.
The federal government has tested a lot more than 2.4 million persons and aims to check 10 million, or almost a tenth of the populace, by the next quarter.
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