Philippines Plans Village Lockdowns in Bid to Contain Virus
Philippines Plans Village Lockdowns in Bid to Contain Virus
(Bloomberg) -- The Philippines is considering downsizing lockdowns to villages from regions, as it balances further reopening its economy with stemming the virus outbreak.
“We will lock down villages with coronavirus cases so that we can preserve economic activity,” Carlito Galvez, chief implementer of the nation’s policies to stem the outbreak, said in a televised briefing late Tuesday.
Stricter curbs may be brought back should a second wave of infections occur, President Rodrigo Duterte said at the same briefing, as the government prepares for the arrival of more returning overseas workers. Malls and some businesses have been allowed to open in the capital since May 16.
The gradual lifting of restrictions is in line with strategies adopted in other countries as governments remain wary of the risk of a resurgence in infections. In the Philippines, confirmed cases of the virus were at 13,221 as of Wednesday.
Some 42,000 Filipino migrant workers are set to arrive until June, which might overwhelm the nation’s quarantine facilities, Galvez said. More than 27,000 repatriated workers are staying at isolation centers in the capital.
The Philippines has been seeing the second wave of coronavirus infection since March, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said at a virtual Senate hearing on Wednesday. The first wave started in January, when three Chinese tourists tested positive for the virus, and was short and shallow, he said. That was then followed by a “spike” in epidemic curve, he added.
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