Manila back under lockdown as virus cases surge

Commuter trains, buses and other public vehicles stayed off the main roads of the Philippine capital Tuesday and police were again staffing checkpoints to restrict public travel as surging virus cases forced another lockdown. Most domestic flights to and from the capital Manila were cancelled, and night curfews will return in places.

The lockdown is milder than the first, which largely confined most people to their homes for months, but is more severe than the quarantine restrictions the capital had been under recently.  It is being imposed in Manila and outlying provinces for two weeks. Businesses previously allowed to partly reopen will again be closed.  President Rodrigo Duterte agreed to reinstate the lockdown after medical groups warned the health care system was being overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. More than 106,000 people have been infected, including more than 2,100 who have died.