MANILA – The Philippines will ease coronavirus restrictions in its capital here to spur economic activity, said officials today, despite record infection numbers and a warning from the World Health Organisation (WHO) against the move.
Restaurants, churches and beauty salons in the national capital region will open at lower capacities from Thursday to get tens of thousands more people back to work.
“We should strive for total health, and this can be realised only by carefully balancing our Covid-19 response by considering both the health of our people and the economic health of the nation,” said President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque.
Cases have surged to record levels – more than 140,000 in the past week – thanks to an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant.
WHO’s representative in the Philippines today warned against relaxing curbs.
While six of 10 adults in the capital are fully inoculated, it is “not adequate at this point to relax quarantine positions”, Rabindra Abeyasinghe told government television.
“If there is a further increase in the current transmission levels, it could lead to an overwhelming of the hospital systems. That’s why we need to be very careful in calibrating how we respond to the current situation.”
The metropolis of 13 million will be placed on the second-highest alert under a new classification system that replaces guidelines that left many residents and business owners confused about which activities are allowed.
Localised lockdowns targeting specific buildings, streets or neighbourhoods will be enforced to check the spread of Covid-19, replacing the current scheme that covers entire cities and regions.
Fully vaccinated customers in the capital region can now be served indoors in restaurants and beauty salons at up to 10% capacity, and at outdoor venues at up to 30% capacity, regardless of vaccination status.
Churches will be allowed to seat 10% of their capacity for services, but other indoor group activities, including those that lead to crowding, remain banned.
Cost of lockdown
A succession of shutdowns since the start of the pandemic has sidelined more than two million workers in the food and leisure sectors in the capital alone, said Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.
Millions of children started a second year of remote lessons this week in the country, which has kept schools closed since the start of the health crisis.
Officials today said when the alert level is reduced to the second-lowest, classrooms may reopen, alongside indoor entertainment and social events at up to 50% capacity.
Duterte previously said the Philippines cannot afford more lockdowns.
But, authorities have had few options to slow the spread of the virus, as hospitals have filled up and the nationwide vaccination rate remains low at 22%.
In a pre-recorded TV address aired today, Duterte said vaccinations – now limited to priority sectors – could start for the general adult population next month “if there is a stable vaccine supply”.
Covid-19 has infected more than 2.2 million people and killed over 35,000 in the country. – AFP, September 14, 2021
