TODAY marks a depressing milestone: exactly 500 days have passed since the government first imposed a "community quarantine" - a doublet of words that no one who has spent so much as a moment in these fair isles ever wants to hear again once this is all over - due to the coronavirus pandemic. On March 15, 2020, the lockdown was applied to Metro Manila and the municipality of Cainta, Rizal. On the following day it was extended to the entire island of Luzon and in the days that followed, was imposed on other parts of the country as well.
On March 16, 2020, the country recorded a total of 142 coronavirus cases, of which 14 had been fatal, although it would take the Department of Health (DoH) some time to figure that out, data management not being its strong suit, then or since.
Continue reading with one of these options:
Ad-free access
P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
- Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
- Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)