Typhoon adds to virus woes in Philippines
manila — A typhoon that slammed into the Philippines on Thursday forced a risky evacuation for tens of thousands of people during the coronavirus pandemic, while New Zealand and Japan were among countries to relax restrictions as the virus is brought under control in some places.
Typhoon Vongfong added the threat of flooding and landslides to the further spread of Covid-19 as people in the eastern Philippines were evacuated into shelters. Officials were seeking to open up more shelter space so people could create more physical distance from themselves, something that was a clear challenge as fierce rains and winds battered the region.
As the pandemic restrictions across the globe inflict damage on economies, several governments promised relief. New Zealand’s government said it plans to borrow and spend vast amounts of money as it tries to keep unemployment below 10 per cent.
“We face a global economic and health crisis not seen since the Great Depression,” Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. —
manila — The coronavirus pandemic is complicating Philippine efforts to move hundreds of thousands of people into evacuation centres where social distancing is hard to enforce as a strong typhoon pummeled through its eastern provinces.
Typhoon Vongfong, the first to hit the country this year, intensified after slamming into the eastern Philippines on Thursday afternoon, packing winds of 155 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 255 kph, the state weather bureau said in a bulletin.
Provincial and city governments, many of which are already strapped for resources due to the outbreak, are grappling with logistical and space issues, with an estimated 200,000 people needed to be moved from their homes in coastal and mountainous areas because of fears of flooding and landslides.
“This is really a nightmare for us here,” Ben Evardone, governor of the Eastern Samar province, said. “Our problem right now is where to squeeze our people, while making sure they practice social distancing”.
With an average of 20 typhoons every year hitting the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, the challenges faced by stretched-thin local governments offer a grim preview of disaster response in the time of Covid-19. The typhoon was forecast to move northwestward and hit Luzon, the country’s largest island that includes the capital Manila, which remains on lockdown.