Philippines Mulls Lifting COVID-19 Lockdown; Infections Top 11,000

The Philippine government was under pressure Monday to partially lift a 2-month-old coronavirus lockdown, one of the world’s strictest community quarantines, as COVID-19 cases nationwide crossed the 11,000 mark.

Duterte was meeting advisers and health authorities at the presidential palace late Monday after a majority of mayors that make up Metropolitan Manila – composed of 16 cities and one town – said they were seeking an extension of movement restrictions beyond May 15. Business leaders, however, have pressed for a partial reopening of establishments, citing the lockdown’s ripple effects on the economy.

“Well as I said, the recommendation of the Metro Manila mayors will be taken into consideration,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque told reporters, emphasizing that most of the COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila had been traced in central Manila as well as in nearby Quezon City and Parañaque. “We can see that the other places in Metro Manila are reporting less cases.”

Duterte introduced travel curbs and restrictions on gatherings and business establishments on March 12, days after health authorities reported the first case of domestic transmission of the coronavirus. The president expanded curbs on immigration, movement and travel on March 16, with security forces manning checkpoints, and closing the country to all except repatriated Filipinos.

The lockdown, which covers the main island of Luzon, which is home to about 60 million Filipinos, was earlier set to expire by end of April, but a rise in infections forced an inter-agency task force to recommend its extension until May 15.

Health authorities reported seven coronavirus deaths on Monday, bringing the nation’s toll to 726. Infections also surged to 11,086 after officials confirmed 292 new cases during the past 24 hours.

While Duterte wanted to protect the public, the president also realized the need for some industries and city businesses to partially re-open, according to Roque.

Roque said that some areas might still be under continued lockdown, while other areas might see a relaxation in rules “for economic considerations.”

However, Roque said, “Life will not be back to normal until there is no vaccine, until there is no medicine.”

Cruise ships drop anchor in Manila

Meanwhile, at least 17 international cruise ships manned mostly by Filipino seamen have been allowed to dock in Manila Bay, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

Among the vessels is the MV Ruby Princess, which was under investigation by Australian authorities for coronavirus infections. It has more than 200 Filipino crew members, who were to join at least 5,000 of their compatriots on board for a series of tests before being allowed to disembark, officials said.

The Ruby Princess has been linked to some 19 coronavirus deaths in Australia and the United States. An investigation in Australia is seeking to find out why 2,700 passengers and crew were allowed to disembark in Sydney in March before test results on sick passengers were known. Two passengers, who flew home to the United States from Australia, later died, health officials told reporters.

The Philippine government has said that about 24,000 Filipino workers, a majority of them ship and crew personnel, have returned home by air and sea after they were displaced by the pandemic. About 10 percent of the country’s population of about 100 million work abroad, many of them sea-based, according to government statistics.