Coronavirus South-east Asia
Curbs in Manila eased for first half of Feb, as infections ebb
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MANILA • The Philippines will ease movement restrictions in its capital from today to Feb 15 after the number of Covid-19 cases declined from a record.
Metro Manila, which accounts for a third of the nation's economic output, and nearby Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal provinces will be placed under the looser Alert Level 2, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said in a statement on Sunday.
Under Alert Level 2, indoor restaurants, gyms and cinemas can operate at half capacity, while outdoor businesses can be up to 70 per cent full.
The restrictions are reviewed every two weeks.
More than 90 areas outside the capital will be placed under Alert Level 3, during which outdoor businesses are limited to half capacity and indoor establishments to 30 per cent.
Covid-19 cases in the Philippines, which had the worst Omicron-driven surge in South-east Asia, fell to around 17,000 on Saturday from a record of almost 39,000 infections in mid-January.
Still, the positivity rate remains elevated, with a third of people tested having the virus. Half of the population is fully vaccinated, lagging behind the country's South-east Asian neighbours.
The Philippines' policy is to move from pandemic to a more endemic approach to the coronavirus, Economic Planning Secretary Karl Chua said on Jan 27, after announcing better-than-expected economic growth in the fourth quarter. Mr Chua expects the country to be on track to "rapid recovery" as mobility restrictions ease.
Borders will soon reopen to some foreign tourists, and quarantine requirements will be scrapped for the fully vaccinated.
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