World’s longest lockdown extended in Manila as global Covid-19 deaths pass 1 million

MANILA, 29 Sept 2020:

Manila’s lockdown enforced due to Covid-19, the longest-running in the world, has been extended until Oct 31, authorities said today.

This will take the Philippine capital of almost 14 million residents to 7½ months of confinement.

The Philippine government today announced new phases for the month of October in the country, which is mostly at a more relaxed level – except for Manila, Batangas province and the cities of Bacolod, Iloilo, Tacloban and Iligan.

The province of Lanao del Sur, in the area known as Muslim Mindanao in the southern Philippines, will be placed on the strictest confinement level for 15 days to contain an outbreak of Covid-19 cases.

The capital was sealed off by land, sea and air on March 15 and will remain that way at least until Oct 31 – a period in which travel to and from Manila is prohibited, except for emergencies.

The Philippines yesterday confirmed a cumulative total of 307,288 Covid-19 cases – the highest number in Southeast Asia – and 5,381 deaths. More than half of the infections (162,277) are concentrated in the capital, although the rate of the spread of the virus has decreased over September.

The first cases of Covid-19 arrived in the Philippines in late January, imported by Chinese tourists, but community transmissions were confirmed in early March.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who initially downplayed the impact of the virus, declared a national emergency on March 9 – two days before the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a pandemic.

Manila, and almost the entire country, was under strict confinement for three consecutive months, during which the capital became a ghost town, without traffic and with all establishments closed; a situation to which it returned for 15 days in August to stop a new spike in infections that saturated hospitals.

Currently the capital is in an intermediate phase of quarantine, in which those under 21 and over 60 still cannot leave home, and most businesses are open at 30 to 50 percent of their capacity. In addition, the use of masks and face shields are mandatory in enclosed spaces.

Meanwhile, UN secretary general yesterday said the world must “learn from the mistakes” after the number of Covid-19 deaths worldwide passed 1 million.

“Our world has reached an agonising milestone: the loss of one million lives from the Covid-19 pandemic,” António Guterres said in a statement.

“It’s a mind-numbing figure. Yet we must never lose sight of each and every individual life. They were fathers and mothers, wives and husbands, brothers and sisters, friends and colleagues.”

Guterres also highlighted that “the pain has been multiplied by the savageness of this disease” with families kept away from the beds of the sick and, in many cases, unable to say goodbye or mourn.

Although he added there “is no end in sight to the spread of the virus,” he said the challenge can be overcome, “but we must learn from the mistakes. Responsible leadership matters. Science matters. Cooperation matters – and misinformation kills.”

He urged the world to save lives by wearing masks, keeping physical distance, and washing hands.

“As we remember so many lives lost, let us never forget that our future rests on solidarity – as people united and as united nations.”

The number of deaths caused by Covid-19 around the world yesterday reached 1,000,825 – with the US topping the list with 205,062, followed by Brazil with 142,058, and India with 95,542, according to Johns Hopkins University’s independent count.

The top four countries for the most deaths – including Mexico with 76,603 – make up more than 50% of the global total.

The total number of infections worldwide has reached 33,279,488, the university calculated, with Covid-19 cases in the US totalling 7,147,751, followed by India with 6,074,702, and Brazil with 4,745,464.

On the other hand, the university indicated that more than 23 million people have recovered from Covid-19 globally, with India leading the way with 5,016,520 patients who have overcome the infectious disease, followed by Brazil with 4,197,372 recoveries, and the US with 2,794,608.

The latest figures provided by WHO yesterday indicated global Covid-19 cases have surpassed 33 million after more than 302,000 new infections were recorded in the previous 24 hours, while the death toll had reached 996,342 and is expected to reach 1 million in the next few days.

Data from the agency showed the Americas account for around half of the cases worldwide, with 16,360,122, while 6,810,494 confirmed cases have been recorded in second-placed Southeast Asia.

Europe is in third place with 5,725,150 cases recorded since the start of the pandemic, followed by Eastern Mediterranean with 2,357,703 cases and Africa with 1,175,812 cases, according to the WHO.

The Western Pacific region is the least affected in the world, with 604,576 Covid-19 cases detected.

It is widely suspected the actual numbers are higher than those that have been confirmed and recorded.

– EFE