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Philippines urges coronavirus vigilance as shoppers ignore safety protocols

Published 05/17/2020, 06:55 PM
Updated 05/17/2020, 07:00 PM
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MANILA, May 17 (Reuters) - The Philippine government on
Sunday called for vigilance against the coronavirus, a day after
hordes of people trooped to shopping malls and ignored safety
protocols, as authorities began loosening a two-month lockdown.
Photos and videos showing shoppers in some malls in the
capital Manila violating physical distancing rules went viral on
Saturday, drawing widespread public criticism and alarm,
prompting the government to issue fresh health warnings.
"We advise the public not to be complacent and to follow
health protocols set by authorities after we received reports of
people who trooped to the malls with complete disregard of
social/physical distancing measures," presidential spokesman
Harry Roque said.
The government warned malls would be closed again if they do
not strictly implement physical distancing and crowd control
measures.
The Southeast Asian country has reported 12,513 cases of
coronavirus infections and a death toll of 824. Fears linger over the possibility of a new wave of novel
coronavirus cases following reports of infections accelerating
again in Germany, new cases in the city of Wuhan in central
China, the origin of the outbreak, and in South Korea.
The Philippines has joined a growing number of countries
gradually reopening economies shut down by restrictions aimed at
containing the pandemic, although its biggest cities - Manila
and Cebu - remain in lockdown.
"We must understand that we have started to slowly ease
restrictions in order to revitalize the economy, and not because
we are safe," Roque said in a statement. "We must continue to be
vigilant of the risks of COVID-19."



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