The total doses administered now stand at 24.8 million
coronavirus2 days ago
The Philippines on Friday lifted restrictions on national obsessions like karaoke and basketball in the capital Manila and reopened universities in the megacity of 13 million people as virus cases eased there.
All restrictions on the movement of young people aged below 18 years were lifted in the capital, officials announced, and primary schools could reopen soon, pending the approval of President Rodrigo Duterte.
“This is good news and one that has been highly anticipated,” Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque told a news conference.
Curfews as well as curbs on indoor recreation and contact sports are components of severe lockdowns aimed at slowing the spread of Covid-19 which has infected about 2.8 million people and killed 44,000 across the Southeast Asian nation.
ALSO READ:
Officials cited rising vaccination coverage for a slowdown in the spread of the virus, which had strained health services between April and October with the onslaught of the highly contagious Delta variant.
Cases have fallen from a high of 2,000 average daily cases in Manila last month “to an average of just 493 cases per day,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told the news conference.
The new guidelines are in place until November 21, but officials said they could be extended if the number of new cases and hospital admission rates continue to fall.
Minors had only been allowed outside their homes starting this month, but only to “obtain essential goods and services.”
Contact sports like basketball, the national sport, karaoke bars, and amusement park operations were allowed for the first time since the Philippines began imposing lockdowns early last year.
Roque said metropolitan Manila universities would reopen at 50 per cent capacity, while “face-to-face” instruction in grade schools could resume for the first time since March 2020 if Duterte gave his approval.
The total doses administered now stand at 24.8 million
coronavirus2 days ago
The Hope Consortium has delivered millions of vaccines from the point of manufacture to the point of immunisation
coronavirus2 days ago
Over 160 million PCR tests have been conducted in the country so far
coronavirus2 days ago
Partners exhibited excellence and professionalism in their cooperation: Major General Ahmed Mohamed Rafie
coronavirus2 days ago
The curbs and endless mass testing imposed on China’s capital have unsettled its economy
coronavirus2 days ago
The ongoing wave, declared last week, has fuelled concerns over a lack of vaccines, inadequate medical infrastructure and a potential food crisis
coronavirus2 days ago
The total doses administered now stand at 24.8 million
coronavirus3 days ago
Total active cases stand at 13,867
coronavirus3 days ago