MANILA, Sept 20 (Xinhua): The number of confirmed Covid-19 (coronavirus) cases in the Philippines surged to 286,743 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 3,311 new daily cases on Sunday. It remains the country with the worst infection record in South-East Asia.
The DOH said that the number of recoveries also surged to 229,865 after 20,021 more patients have survived the disease.
The DOH added that 55 more patients have succumbed to the viral disease, bringing the death toll to 4,984.
Metro Manila topped the five regions or provinces with the highest number of daily confirmed cases reported on Sunday with 1,435, followed by Negros Occidental in the central Philippines, 261; Laguna province, south of Manila, 231; Rizal province, east of Manila, 204; and Cavite province, south of Manila, 174.
The Philippines has tested over 3.16 million people so far, according to DOH.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to retain the one-metre physical distancing in public transportation to reduce virus transmission amid surging cases in the country, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said on Saturday.
"In addition to physical distancing, the commuting public must adhere to health protocols, such as wearing of face mask, face shield, and no talking and no eating inside the public mode of transport," Roque said in a statement.
The decision came as health experts and government officials crafting the responses to Covid-19 have been debating for days on whether or not to reduce or keep the one-metre distance.
"We shall aggressively comply and strictly enforce the 1-meter physical distancing in all public transport as envisioned and mandated," the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Saturday.
The DOTr started implementing on Sept 14 a new physical distancing rule in public transport to accommodate more commuters as the lockdown measures are eased and the economy slowly reopens.
From 1-metre, the DOTr reduced the distance to 0.75 metres to increase ridership in buses, trains, planes and vessels.
The DOTr said the distance could be further "optimized" to 0.5 metres after two weeks and to 0.3 metres after another two weeks after that.
However the DOH and other officials in the coronavirus task force opposed the move, warning it could trigger a widespread transmission.
The World Health Organisation recommends at least 1-meter distance from each other to limit the spread of Covid-19. - Xinhua
The DOH said that the number of recoveries also surged to 229,865 after 20,021 more patients have survived the disease.
The DOH added that 55 more patients have succumbed to the viral disease, bringing the death toll to 4,984.
Metro Manila topped the five regions or provinces with the highest number of daily confirmed cases reported on Sunday with 1,435, followed by Negros Occidental in the central Philippines, 261; Laguna province, south of Manila, 231; Rizal province, east of Manila, 204; and Cavite province, south of Manila, 174.
The Philippines has tested over 3.16 million people so far, according to DOH.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to retain the one-metre physical distancing in public transportation to reduce virus transmission amid surging cases in the country, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said on Saturday.
"In addition to physical distancing, the commuting public must adhere to health protocols, such as wearing of face mask, face shield, and no talking and no eating inside the public mode of transport," Roque said in a statement.
The decision came as health experts and government officials crafting the responses to Covid-19 have been debating for days on whether or not to reduce or keep the one-metre distance.
"We shall aggressively comply and strictly enforce the 1-meter physical distancing in all public transport as envisioned and mandated," the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Saturday.
The DOTr started implementing on Sept 14 a new physical distancing rule in public transport to accommodate more commuters as the lockdown measures are eased and the economy slowly reopens.
From 1-metre, the DOTr reduced the distance to 0.75 metres to increase ridership in buses, trains, planes and vessels.
The DOTr said the distance could be further "optimized" to 0.5 metres after two weeks and to 0.3 metres after another two weeks after that.
However the DOH and other officials in the coronavirus task force opposed the move, warning it could trigger a widespread transmission.
The World Health Organisation recommends at least 1-meter distance from each other to limit the spread of Covid-19. - Xinhua
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