Despite imposing the longest, strictest lockdown in Southeast Asia, coronavirus cases in the Philippines have now surged to almost 120,000, eclipsing Indonesia to become the region’s biggest outbreak.
The country re-imposed this week a second lockdown on Manila and nearby areas to curb infection spread, even as the economy suffered its deepest contraction on record, shrinking 16.5 percent in the second quarter from a year ago.
It’s yet another example of how the premature easing of restrictions has given the virus an opening to come back even stronger, illustrated by the new waves of infection now sweeping countries in Asia and parts of Europe. In the Philippines, the virus’s resurgence was fueled by testing gaffes and failures in quarantine protocol in the face of over 100,000 overseas workers arriving back home after losing their jobs in other countries.