In a Philippine lockdown, priests bring church to the community

Filipino Catholic priest Eduardo "Ponpon" Vasquez Jr, 47, wears personal protective equipment (PPE) as he conducts an impromptu baptism on an infant, after visiting the family's home to give a blessing to one of their relatives who was ill, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 22, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

MANILA (Reuters) - Catholic priest Eduardo "Ponpon" Vasquez has worn a hazmat suit more than a vestment this past month.

His parish in the populous Caloocan area of the Philippine capital Manila has been eerily quiet in the six weeks since the government put half of the country's population on a strict lockdown to try to curb coronavirus infections.