Philippine leader Duterte rejects bid to ease quarantine curbs without vaccine roll-out

Local governments may also choose to lift rules requiring travelers to have themselves tested for Covid-19. - Reuters

MANILA (The Straits Times/ANN): Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday (Feb 22) rejected his own Covid-19 pandemic task force’s calls to ease quarantine curbs to revive a stalled economy, unless the government could get a vaccine roll-out going.

“No vaccine roll-out, no MGCQ, ” Duterte’s closest aide, Senator Bong Go, said in a text message to reporters, referring to a modified general community quarantine that would have lifted many of the restrictions that have been in place since a sweeping three-month lockdown early last year.