Asia

Home page

Asia

The Philippines to expand Covid restrictions in Manila

04 January 2022 10:35 (UTC +04:00)

The Philippines will expand Covid restrictions in Manila from Wednesday to include more than 11 million people living near the capital as cases surge, the government has said, APA reports citing Agence France-Press.

Daily infections have spiked to a two-month high in January as the health department warns of higher caseloads in the coming days following the detection of local cases of the Omicron variant.

The provinces of Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal surrounding Manila have been placed under the third highest alert “due to a sharp increase of Covid-19 cases”, presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said in a statement Tuesday, Agence France-Press reports.

Under the tighter restrictions, which will be in place until mid-January, unvaccinated residents will need to stay at home unless buying essentials or exercising.

Restaurants, parks, churches and beauty salons will operate at lower capacity while in-person classes and contact sports are suspended.

The health department has deemed the entire country of 109 million at “high risk” following a spike in cases in recent days, even as hospitalisations remain under control, health undersecretary Rosario Vergeire told CNN Philippines.

The Philippines has recorded over 2.8 million infections and more than 51,000 deaths.