Manila back to lockdown

President Rodrigo Duterte agreed on Monday to place the capital and outlying provinces back under a lockdown after medical groups warned that the country was waging “a losing battle” against the coronavirus amid an alarming surge in infections. That means metropolitan Manila, the capital region of more than 12 million people, and five densely populated provinces will revert to stricter quarantine restrictions starting Tuesday. The move will again prohibit nonessential travel outside of homes. Duterte relaxed the country’s lockdown on June 1 in a bid to restart the stagnant economy.