After nearly three months of strict lockdown and home quarantine measures due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Philippines has decided to ease the lockdown from June 1 in Manila and allowed most businesses to open. Transport and domestic flights also permitted to resume operations.

Rodrigo Duterte, the President of Philippines, said on Thursday (May 28) night that metropolitan Manila will be placed under a more relaxed quarantine from Monday, aiming to resuscitate a faltering economy due to lockdown.

He made the televised announcement and also warned by saying, “Remember that the entire nation is still under quarantine and the state has every right to control your movement if you pass on a contagion to the population.”

Arthur Tugade, Transport Secretary, said at the same briefing that domestic flights will be allowed between areas where the rules are being eased. Moreover, Philippine Airlines said that it will resume its flight operations once it has finalized its routes and flight schedules with government authorities.

Under the new arrangement, more work and business and public transport will be allowed to resume with public health safety measures that include physical distancing, wearing face masks, using hand sanitizer and other safeguards. Trains and buses will also be allowed to operate with limited capacity.

Schools, institutes, bars, dine-in restaurants and barber shops will all remain closed.  The children and elders are strictly prohibited to step out from their home unless for essential work.

In Manila, shopping malls, defacto centres of community life and drivers of consumer spending will be allowed to open at a limited capacity for about two weeks. Most workers will allow to going to their work place but working from home is still strongly encouraged.

As of Friday (May 29), the country has reported 15,588 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 921 deaths caused by the virus. However, 3,598 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 have completely recovered.