2020 coronavirus pandemic in the Philippines

2020 coronavirus pandemic in the Philippines

Map of provinces (including Metro Manila) with confirmed (red) and suspected (blue) COVID-19 cases (as of March 18)
Disease	COVID-19
Virus strain	SARS-CoV-2
Location	Philippines
First case	Manila
Arrival date	January 30, 2020 (1 month, 2 weeks and 4 days)
Origin	Wuhan, Hubei, China
Confirmed cases	202
Suspected cases‡	184
Recovered	7
Deaths	17
Official website
https://www.doh.gov.ph/2019-nCoV
‡ Suspected cases have not been confirmed as being due to this strain by laboratory tests, although some other strains may have been ruled out.

As of March 18, 2020, there have been 202 confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Philippines. Out of the 202 cases, 17 deaths and 7 recoveries were recorded. The first case was confirmed on January 30, that of a 38-year-old Chinese woman who was confined in the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila. The second case was confirmed on February 2, that of a 44-year-old Chinese man who died a day earlier, which was also the first confirmed death from the disease outside mainland China.

The first case of someone with no travel history abroad was confirmed on March 5, a 62-year-old male who frequented a Muslim prayer hall in San Juan, Metro Manila, raising suspicions that a community transmission of COVID-19 is already underway in the Philippines. The man's wife was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on March 7, which was also the first local transmission to be confirmed. The largest increase of the number of confirmed cases was on March 14, when 47 new cases were announced.

The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, is the medical facility where suspected cases are being tested for COVID-19 infection since January 30, 2020. Prior to that date, confirmatory tests were made abroad.

Several measures were imposed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines, including bans on travel to mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and South Korea. On March 7, 2020, the Department of Health (DOH) raised its "Code Red Sub-Level 1," with a recommendation to the President of the Philippines to impose a "public health emergency" authorizing the DOH to mobilize resources for the procurement of safety gear and the imposition of preventive quarantine measures. On March 9, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Proclamation No. 922, declaring the country under a state of public health emergency. On March 12, President Duterte declared "Code Red Sub-Level 2," issuing a partial lockdown on Metro Manila and extending the metropolis' class suspensions up to April 12, to prevent a nationwide spread of COVID-19. The class suspensions were later extended up to April 14 through a memorandum circular released by Malacañang on March 14. On March 16, the entirety of Luzon has been placed under an "enhanced community quarantine." On March 17, President Duterte issued Proclamation No. 929, declaring the Philippines under a state of calamity for a tentative period of six months.

The Philippine government has repatriated some of its citizens across different international locations, all of whom were later quarantined at the New Clark City in Tarlac.

Timeline

Further information: Timeline of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic in December 2019 – January 2020, February 2020, and March 2020

January

• January 30:
  • The first case of the disease was confirmed in the Philippines.
  • The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine began conducting confirmatory tests for the disease. Prior to this date, confirmatory tests are also conducted abroad.

February

• February 2 – The first death from the disease in the Philippines was confirmed. This death is the first confirmed death outside the Chinese mainland.
• February 5:
  • The first confirmed case of a Filipino citizen outside the Philippines was announced. The case is of a crew member of the cruise ship Diamond Princess quarantined off the coast of Yokohama, Japan.
  • The third case in the country was confirmed.
• February 9 to 22 – Repatriates from Wuhan were quarantined at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac. None of them displayed any symptoms during the quarantine period and was released after they were cleared for the disease.

March

• March 5 and 6 – The fourth and fifth cases were confirmed on March 5 and were announced on March 6. Both are Filipino citizens, making them the first and second cases of Filipinos inside the Philippines.
• March 7:
  • The sixth case was confirmed on March 7. The case is of the wife of the fifth case diagnosed on March 5.
  • The Department of Health confirmed that the fifth case was the first local transmission in the country. Code Red Sub-Level 1 was also raised as a precautionary measure.
• March 8:
  • Four new cases were confirmed on March 8:
    • The seventh case is a Taiwanese national who got infected by another Taiwanese national that recently visited the Philippines. His symptoms began appearing on March 3.
    • The eighth case is a Filipino citizen that recently visited Japan in the past two weeks. His symptoms began appearing on March 5.
    • The ninth case is an American national with pre-existing hypertension that recently traveled to the US and South Korea. His symptoms began appearing on March 1.
    • The tenth case is a Filipino citizen with no travel history outside of the country. He had contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases but his exposure is still under investigation by the DOH.
• March 9:
  • Ten new cases were initially confirmed on March 9, totalling 20 cases.
  • On Monday evening, March 9, President Rodrigo Duterte has formally declared a state of public health emergency in the Philippines. The president also suspended all classes, in public and private, in Metro Manila from March 10 to 14 and confirmed four more cases, totalling 23 cases.
• March 10 – Eleven new cases were initially confirmed on March 10. The DOH later corrected that two cases were repeat tests, totalling 33 cases.
• March 11 – Sixteen new cases were confirmed on March 11, totalling 49 cases.
• March 12:
  • Three new cases were confirmed on March 12, totalling 52 cases.
  • President Rodrigo Duterte announces a partial lockdown on Metro Manila beginning at 12 midnight on March 15 that will cover 16 cities and one municipality. Land, domestic air, and domestic sea travel to and from Metro Manila shall be suspended until April 14, 2020 (international departures will be permitted). Entry travel restrictions shall be imposed upon those traveling from countries with localized COVID-19 transmissions, except for Filipino citizens (including their foreign spouse and children) or holders of Permanent Resident Visas and Diplomat Visas. Mass transportation within Metro Manila shall continue to operate with social distancing guidelines.
• March 13 – Twelve new cases were confirmed on March 13, totalling 64 cases.
• March 14:
  • Forty-seven new cases were confirmed on March 14, totalling 111 cases.
  • The province of Oriental Mindoro has been placed under a "voluntary community quarantine."
• March 15
  • The National Capital Region and the municipality of Cainta in Rizal has been placed under "community quarantine" or a partial lockdown that will last until April 14.
  • Twenty-nine new cases have been confirmed on March 15, totalling 140 cases.
  • The PNP announced that an officer assigned to the CIDG showed symptoms of COVID-19 while having a diabetic condition. He passed away on March 14 with the test results released by March 17.
• March 16
  • Two new cases have been confirmed on March 16, totalling 142 cases.
  • President Duterte announces the placement of the entire island region of Luzon on enhanced community quarantine, in effect imposing a lockdown on the region.
• March 17
  • The Department of Health confirmed that the occurrence of community based transmission of the coronavirus in the Philippines.
  • On March 17, forty-five new cases of COVID-19 was announced, bringing the total cases in the Philippines to 187.
  • A Diamond Princess repatriate who tested positive of the virus has completely recovered from the disease and was discharged within the same day. This brings a total of 4 recoveries among infected patients in the Philippines.
  • On March 17, President Rodrigo Duterte have signed Proclamation No. 929 that placed the entire Philippines under state of calamity on account of COVID-19.

• March 18
  • The Department of Health has confirmed six new cases on March 18, causing the number of the infected to rise to 193.
  • Eleven new cases were later confirmed, bringing the total cases in the Philippines to 202. Additional three patient fatalities was also confirmed on the same day.
  • Cebu records its first case from a patient confined in a hospital in Mandaue City.

Cases

Confirmed cases

Confirmed cases by residence (as of March 18)

  All cases were admitted in a different province

  Some cases were admitted in a different province

Confirmed cases in Metro Manila by hospital of admission (as of March 18)

  16–25 confirmed cases

  10–15 confirmed cases

  1–9 confirmed cases

The first case of COVID-19 in the Philippines was confirmed on January 30. The diagnosed patient was a 38-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the origin of the disease, who had arrived in Manila from Hong Kong on January 21. She was admitted at the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila on January 25 after she sought a consultation due to a mild cough. At the time of the confirmation announcement, the Chinese woman was already asymptomatic.

The second case was confirmed on February 2, a 44-year-old Chinese male who was the companion of the first case. His death on February 1 was the first recorded outside China. He suffered from coinfection with influenza and Streptococcus pneumoniae.

On February 5, the DOH confirmed a third case in a 60-year-old Chinese woman who flew into Cebu City from Hong Kong on January 20 before she traveled to Bohol where she consulted a doctor at a private hospital on January 22, due to fever and rhinitis. Samples taken from the patient on January 24 returned a negative result, but the DOH was notified on February 3 that samples taken from the patient on January 23 tested positive for the virus. The patient upon recovery on January 31 was allowed to go home to China.

After a month without new cases, on March 6, the DOH announced two cases consisting of two Filipinos. One is a 48-year-old man with a travel history to Japan, returning on February 25 and reported symptoms on March 3. The other is a 60-year-old man with a history of hypertension and diabetes who experienced symptoms on February 25 and was admitted to a hospital on March 1 when he experienced pneumonia. He had last visited a Muslim prayer hall in San Juan. The DOH confirmed that the fifth case had no travel history outside the Philippines and is, therefore, the first case of local transmission. A sixth case was later confirmed, that of a 59-year-old woman who is the wife of the fifth case. The Department of Health confirmed that the fourth case is a lawyer who works for the multinational firm Deloitte while the fifth case is a resident of Cainta. On March 8, it was confirmed that an American, Taiwanese and two Filipinos were being treated for the virus. On March 9, the DOH announced 10 more cases of the virus with unnamed patients being isolated at various hospitals. That same day, President Duterte announced four more cases from San Juan, Quezon City and Santa Maria, Bulacan. The last-mentioned case was eventually clarified to be from San Jose del Monte, still in the same province.

On March 16, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri confirmed that he tested positive for COVID-19. Claiming he was asymptomatic, Zubiri interacted with a resource person at the Senate of the Philippines who had earlier tested positive.

On March 17, actor Christopher de Leon announced that he had contracted the virus. On the same day, Zubiri was told that he will have to be retested to ensure that his initial result was not a false positive.

Summary of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines ()

Case no.	Date	Age	Gender	Nationality	Facility of admission or consultation	Had recent travel history abroad	Status	Notes	Ref.
1	January 30	38	Female	Chinese	San Lazaro Hospital, Manila	Yes	Recovered	Traveled from Wuhan, China and Hong Kong. Wife of Case No. 2; discharged on February 10.
2	February 2	44	Male	Chinese	San Lazaro Hospital, Manila	Yes	Died	Traveled from Wuhan, China and Hong Kong; husband of Case No. 1. Died on February 1; first death in the Philippines and outside mainland China.
3	February 5	60	Female	Chinese	Undisclosed privately run hospital in Tagbilaran, Bohol	Yes	Recovered	Traveled from Wuhan, China. Tested negative from samples collected on January 24, but samples collected on January 23 yielded positive results. Has already recovered, discharged from hospital, and returned to China on January 31.
4	March 5	48	Male	Filipino	Initially confined at St. Luke's Medical Center – Global City in Taguig; transferred to Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Muntinlupa	Yes	Admitted	An employee of Deloitte in Bonifacio Global City; returned to the Philippines from Japan on February 25 and experienced chills and fever beginning March 3.
5	March 5	62	Male	Filipino	Initially admitted at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan, Metro Manila; later moved to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	No	Died	Reported in San Juan, had no travel history abroad but has frequently visited a Muslim prayer hall and has hypertension and diabetes; a resident of Cainta, Rizal; husband of Case No. 6; died on March 12.
6	March 7	59	Female	Filipino	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	No	Died	Wife of Case No. 5; first confirmed case of local transmission; a resident of Cainta, Rizal. Died on March 12.
7	March 8	38	Male	Taiwanese	Makati Medical Center	No	Admitted	Has a history of contact with FC No. 2 (See Cases of foreign nationals who have been to the Philippines).
8	March 8	32	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Global City	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Japan.
9	March 8	86	Male	American	The Medical City	Yes	Died	A resident of Marikina, has pre-existing hypertension and history of travel to the U.S. and South Korea. Husband of Case No. 29, lived in the same household with Cases No. 27, 28 and 30, and had contact with Case No. 31. With pre-existing medical conditions; died on March 14.
10	March 8	57	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	No	Admitted	Symptoms started to appear on February 20.
11	March 9	72	Male	Filipino	Initially admitted at The Medical City; transferred to St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	No	Admitted	Symptoms started to appear on March 3; comorbid.
12	March 9	56	Male	Filipino	Makati Medical Center	No	Died	Symptoms started to appear on February 29; had pre-existing asthma. Had contact with Cases No. 42 and 43. Died on March 15.
13	March 9	34	Male	Filipino	Makati Medical Center	Yes	Recovered	Recently traveled to Australia; began experiencing fever last February 28. Discharged on March 15.
14	March 9	46	Male	Filipino	Makati Medical Center	No	Recovered	Developed fever cough last February 25. Discharged on March 15.
15	March 9	24	Male	Filipino	Initially admitted to Makati Medical Center; transferred to Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital in Caloocan	Yes	Recovered	Recently traveled to United Arab Emirates. Discharged on March 15.
16	March 9	70	Male	Filipino	Initially admitted at UniHealth Parañaque Hospital; transferred to Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	No	Admitted	Recently traveled to Indonesia; Husband of Case No. 17.
17	March 9	69	Female	Filipino	Initially admitted at UniHealth Parañaque Hospital; transferred to Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	No	Admitted	Recently traveled to Indonesia; Wife of Case No. 16.
18	March 9	41	Male	Filipino	Initially admitted at Tricity Medical Center; transferred to San Lazaro Hospital	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Taiwan. Husband of Case No. 19; experienced fever, headache, and body malaise on February 26.
19	March 9	46	Female	Filipino	Initially admitted at Tricity Medical Center; transferred to San Lazaro Hospital	No	Admitted	Wife of Case No. 18.
20	March 9	48	Male	Filipino	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Japan; a resident of Imus, Cavite.
21	March 9	58	Female	Filipino	Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital	No	Admitted	Experienced cough, colds, and dysphagia; a resident of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
22	March 9	51	Female	Filipino	Cardinal Santos Medical Center	No	Admitted	Reported in San Juan; experienced fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
23	March 9	30	Female	Filipino	Initially admitted at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center; transferred to San Lazaro Hospital	No	Admitted	Experienced cough, sore throat, and headache.
24	March 9	52	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	Yes	Admitted	Reported in Project 6, Quezon City; recently traveled to Switzerland.
25	March 10	31	Male	Filipino	Initially admitted at New Clark City, Capas, Tarlac; transferred to Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital, San Fernando, Pampanga	Yes	Recovered	Asymptomatic; was onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.
26	March 10	34	Male	Filipino	Initially admitted at New Clark City, Capas, Tarlac; transferred to Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital, San Fernando, Pampanga	Yes	Recovered	Asymptomatic; was onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.
27	March 10	42	Female	Filipino	The Medical City	No	Admitted	Niece of Case No. 9; experienced cough before February 19 and tested positive for COVID-19 on March 10.
28	March 10	69	Male	Filipino	The Medical City	No	Admitted	Relative of Case No. 5, husband of Case No. 30 and lived in the same household with Case No. 9; experienced cough and fever.
29	March 10	82	Female	Filipino	The Medical City	No	Admitted	Wife of Case No. 9; asymptomatic.
30	March 10	96	Female	Filipino	The Medical City	No	Admitted	Relative of Case No. 5, wife of Case No. 28 and lived in the same household with Case No. 9; asymptomatic.
31	March 10	28	Female	Filipino	The Medical City	No	Admitted	Had history of exposure to Case No. 9; symptoms began appearing on March 7.
32	March 10	64	Male	Filipino	The Medical City	No	Admitted	Symptoms began appearing on February 27.
33	March 10	60	Male	Filipino	The Medical City	No	Admitted	Experienced fever, cough, and dizziness.
34	March 11	72	Male	Filipino	Manila Doctors Hospital	No	Admitted	Husband of Case No. 35; attended a Senate hearing on March 5; symptoms began appearing on March 6.
35	March 11	67	Female	Filipino	Manila Doctors Hospital	No	Died	Wife of Case No. 34. Symptoms began appearing on February 29. First death of a Filipino; died on March 11.
36	March 11	53	Male	Filipino	Las Piñas General Hospital	No	Admitted	Symptoms began appearing on February 25.
37	March 11	88	Female	Filipino	Philippine Heart Center, Quezon City	No	Died	Symptoms began appearing on February 28. Died on March 12.
38	March 11	29	Male	Filipino	Cardinal Santos Medical Center	No	Admitted	Had history of exposure to Case No. 5; symptoms began appearing on March 10.
39	March 11	64	Male	Filipino	Ace Dumaguete Doctors, Inc., Dumaguete; later transferred to the Silliman University Medical Center	No	Died	Was a municipal councilor of Tayasan, Negros Oriental; went to Greenhills and possible case that is linked to the patient who visited the mall. Symptoms began appearing on March 3; died on March 15.
40	March 11	54	Male	Filipino	Northern Mindanao Medical Center, Cagayan de Oro; initially treated in Iligan.	No	Died	First case in Mindanao; symptoms began appearing on March 4. Died on March 13 from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome due to severe pneumonia with concomitant Acute Kidney Injury.
41	March 11	75	Female	Filipino	Makati Medical Center	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to the US; sister of Cases No. 44 and 87, and relative of Case No. 112; symptoms began appearing on March 1.
42	March 11	51	Male	Filipino	The Medical City	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Taiwan; symptoms began appearing on February 27.
43	March 11	47	Male	Filipino	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	No	Admitted	Brother-in-law of Case No. 12 and a close contact of Case No. 35; symptoms began appearing on March 9.
44	March 11	70	Female	Filipino	Makati Medical Center	No	Admitted	Sister of Cases No. 41 and 87, and relative of Case No. 112; symptoms began appearing on March 7.
45	March 11	27	Male	Filipino	Makati Medical Center	No	Admitted	Had history of exposure to a known COVID-19 case; symptoms began appearing on March 8.
46	March 11	66	Female	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	No	Admitted	Symptoms began appearing on February 29.
47	March 11	53	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	TBA	Admitted	History of travel still for verification; symptoms began appearing on February 15.
48	March 11	57	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	Yes	Admitted	Symptoms began appearing on March 2.
49	March 11	72	Male	Filipino	Initially admitted at Batangas Medical Center; transferred to Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Muntinlupa	No	Admitted	Symptoms began appearing on March 1. Brother of Case No. 52.
50	March 12	69	Female	Filipino	The Medical City	No	Admitted	Symptoms began appearing on March 8.
51	March 12	26	Male	Filipino	Makati Medical Center	No	Admitted	Symptoms began appearing on February 28.
52	March 12	79	Female	Filipino	Initially admitted at Batangas Medical Center; transferred to Asian Hospital and Medical Center	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to the UK; a resident of Batangas City. Symptoms began appearing on March 1. Sister of Case No. 49.
53	March 13	30	Male	Filipino	The Medical City	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Japan. A resident of Mandaluyong.
54	March 13	40	Male	Filipino	Ortigas Hospital and Healthcare Center	No	Died	A resident of Pasig, has no travel history 14 days prior to onset of symptoms. Patient considered as high-risk. Tested positive on March 12; died on March 15.
55	March 13	59	Female	Filipino	Cardinal Santos Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of Quezon City.
56	March 13	41	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Global City	No	Admitted	A resident of Parañaque.
57	March 13	65	Male	Filipino	The Medical City	Yes	Died	Recently traveled to London, UK; a resident of Pasig. Died on March 17
58	March 13	45	Female	Filipino	The Medical City	No	Admitted	A resident of Makati.
59	March 13	27	Male	Filipino	Makati Medical Center	TBA	Admitted	A resident of Makati; had history of exposure to a known COVID-19 case.
60	March 13	43	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Global City	TBA	Admitted	A resident of Makati.
61	March 13	70	Female	Filipino	University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of San Juan.
62	March 13	35	Female	Filipino	Ortigas Hospital and Healthcare Center	No	Admitted	A resident of Rizal.
63	March 13	33	Male	Filipino	Marikina Valley Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of Rizal.
64	March 13	32	Male	Filipino	Bataan St. Joseph Hospital and Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of Bataan.
65	March 14	70	Male	Filipino	Veterans Memorial Medical Center	TBA	Admitted	A resident of San Juan; with exposure to Case No. 21.
66	March 14	25	Male	Filipino	San Lazaro Hospital	TBA	Admitted	A resident of Pasig; with exposure to Cases No. 21 and 67.
67	March 14	23	Female	Filipino	Santa Ana Hospital	TBA	Admitted	A resident of Manila; with exposure to Case No. 21.
68	March 14	32	Male	Filipino	The Medical City	No	Admitted	A resident of Quezon City; had history of exposure to a known COVID-19 case.
69	March 14	28	Female	TBA	The Medical City	TBA	Admitted	TBA
70	March 14	35	Male	TBA	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	Yes	Admitted	A resident of Lucena. Recently traveled to Thailand and Singapore.
71	March 14	59	Male	Filipino	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	No	Admitted	A resident of San Juan.
72	March 14	41	Male	Filipino	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Japan; a resident of Laguna.
73	March 14	73	Male	Filipino	Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Thailand; a resident of Manila
74	March 14	49	Male	Filipino	East Avenue Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of Quezon City.
75	March 14	64	Male	Filipino	Rizal Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of Cavite; had history of exposure to a known COVID-19 case.
76	March 14	59	Male	Filipino	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	TBA	Admitted	A resident of San Juan.
77	March 14	60	Male	TBA	Fatima University Medical Center	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Japan; a resident of Antipolo.
78	March 14	63	Female	Filipino	Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center	TBA	Admitted	TBA
79	March 14	68	Male	Filipino	Manila Doctors Hospital	No	Died	A resident of Makati, no history of exposure to any known COVID-19 case, 14 days prior to onset of symptoms. With pre-existing medical conditions; died on March 13.
80	March 14	52	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	No	Admitted	A resident of Quezon City.
81	March 14	25	Female	TBA	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	TBA	Admitted	A resident of Cavite.
82	March 14	66	Male	Filipino	University of Santo Tomas Hospital	No	Admitted	A resident of Quezon City.
83	March 14	46	Male	Filipino	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	No	Admitted	A resident of Pasay; had history of exposure to a known COVID-19 case.
84	March 14	38	Female	Filipino	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	No	Admitted	A resident of Taguig.
85	March 14	38	Male	Filipino	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Japan; a resident of Parañaque.
86	March 14	48	Male	TBA	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	No	Admitted	A contact of Case No. 43.
87	March 14	76	Female	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	No	Admitted	Severe condition; a resident of Quezon City; sister of Cases No. 41 and 44, and relative of Case No. 112
88	March 14	33	Male	Filipino	Quirino Medical Center	No	Admitted	Asymptomatic; a resident of San Juan.
89	March 14	67	Male	Filipino	Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Medical Center	Yes	Died	A resident of San Fernando, Pampanga, with travel history to the US. With pre-existing medical conditions; died on March 11 but confirmed to be positive only on March 13.
90	March 14	66	Female	Filipino	The Medical City	TBA	Admitted	A resident of San Juan; had history of exposure to a known COVID-19 case.
91	March 14	27	Female	Filipino	The Medical City	TBA	Admitted	A resident of Quezon City; had history of exposure to a known COVID-19 case.
92	March 14	69	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Global City	No	Admitted	A resident of Makati.
93	March 14	47	Male	Filipino	Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital	TBA	Admitted	A resident of Pampanga, had history of exposure to a known COVID-19 case.
94	March 14	49	Male	TBA	Qualimed–Santa Rosa Hospital	TBA	Admitted	TBA
95	March 14	64	Female	Filipino	San Lazaro Hospital	TBA	Admitted	Status of condition Severe; A resident of Batangas.
96	March 14	39	Male	Filipino	Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to UAE and Thailand; a resident of Abra.
97	March 14	49	Male	Filipino	San Lazaro Hospital	TBA	Admitted	A resident of Mandaluyong.
98	March 14	50	Male	Filipino	Cardinal Santos Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of San Juan.
99	March 14	33	Male	Filipino	Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital	No	Admitted	A resident of Bulacan.
100	March 14	30	Male	TBA	University of the East–Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Hospital	TBA	Admitted	TBA
101	March 14	55	Male	Filipino	Makati Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of Quezon City.
102	March 14	55	Male	TBA	Makati Medical Center	TBA	Admitted	TBA
103	March 14	31	Male	TBA	Lung Center of the Philippines	TBA	Admitted	A resident of Caloocan; had history of exposure to known COVID-19 case.
104	March 14	62	Male	Filipino	Lung Center of the Philippine	No	Admitted	A resident of Caloocan.
105	March 14	38	Male	Filipino	The Medical City	No	Admitted	A resident of Mandaluyong.
106	March 14	75	Female	Filipino	The Medical City	No	Admitted	A resident of Pasig.
107	March 14	57	Female	Filipino	Philippine Heart Center	No	Admitted	A resident of Quezon City.
108	March 14	38	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Global City	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Malaysia.
109	March 14	44	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Global City	No	Admitted	A resident of Manila.
110	March 14	27	Female	Thai	St. Luke's Medical Center–Global City	No	Admitted	A resident of Taguig.
111	March 14	44	Male	TBA	St. Luke's Medical Center–Global City	No	Admitted	A resident of Pasig.
112	March 15	41	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Global City	No	Admitted	A resident of Makati; relative of Cases No. 41, 44 and 87.
113	March 15	31	Female	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Global City	No	Admitted	A resident of Bulacan; had history of exposure to known COVID-19 case.
114	March 15	35	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Global City	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Japan; a resident of Caloocan.
115	March 15	66	Male	Thai	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Thailand; a resident of Quezon City.
116	March 15	70	Female	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Japan; a resident of Bulacan.
117	March 15	68	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to South Korea and the US; a resident of Quezon City.
118	March 15	60	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	No	Admitted	A resident of Manila.
119	March 15	58	Male	TBA	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	No	Admitted	A resident of Parañaque.
120	March 15	29	Female	TBA	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	No	Admitted	A resident of Quezon City; had history of exposure to known COVID-19 case.
121	March 15	37	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	No	Admitted	A resident of Manila.
122	March 15	41	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	No	Admitted	A resident of Tarlac.
123	March 15	55	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	No	Admitted	A resident of Manila.
124	March 15	65	Male	Filipino	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Singapore; a resident of Quezon City.
125	March 15	36	Male	Filipino	Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Cambodia; a resident of Manila.
126	March 15	76	Male	Filipino	Adventist Medical Center	No	Died	A resident of Rizal; admitted on March 9 and died on March 17.
127	March 15	24	Female	Filipino	San Juan de Dios Education Foundation Inc. Hospital	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Japan; a resident of Parañaque.
128	March 15	25	Male	Filipino	Marikina Valley Medical Center	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Taiwan; a resident of Marikina.
129	March 15	67	Male	Filipino	Initially admitted at Diliman Doctors Hospital; transferred to Lung Center of the Philippines	No	Died	A resident of Quezon City. Died on March 17.
130	March 15	21	Female	Filipino	Davao Regional Medical Center	Yes	Admitted	Status of condition asymptomatic; arrived in the Philippines from the UK with lay-over via Doha, Qatar to Manila then to Davao on February 29; a resident of Davao de Oro.
131	March 15	29	Female	Filipino	Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Dubai; a resident of Mandaluyong.
132	March 15	69	Male	Filipino	Makati Medical Center	TBA	Admitted	A resident of Makati.
133	March 15	27	Male	Filipino	Quirino Memorial Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of San Juan.
134	March 15	47	Female	Filipino	Quezon City Health Department (reporting facility)	No	Admitted	A resident of Quezon City; mother of Cases No. 51 and 135.
135	March 15	13	Female	Filipino	Quezon City Health Department (reporting facility)	No	Admitted	Sought consultation at the Quezon City Health Department after she began showing symptoms of the disease on March 4, and was later on confirmed to have contracted the disease on March 15. The patient recovered on March 17.
136	March 15	47	Male	Filipino	Silang Specialists Medical Center	No	Admitted	Status of condition Critical; A resident of Cavite.
137	March 15	27	Female	Filipino	The Medical City	No	Admitted	A resident of Rizal.
138	March 15	58	Male	Filipino	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	No	Admitted	A resident of Las Piñas.
139	March 15	44	Female	Filipino	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	No	Admitted	A resident of Muntinlupa.
140	March 15	47	Female	Filipino	Asian Hospital and Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of Parañaque.
141	March 16	63	Male	Filipino	The Medical City	No	Admitted	Identified as actor Christopher de Leon
142	March 16	50	Male	Filipino	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	No	Admitted	Identified as Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri
143	March 17	73	Male	Filipino	Cardinal Santos Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of Quezon City.
144	March 17	74	Female	Filipino	Cardinal Santos Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of San Juan .
145	March 17	32	Male	TBA	Cotabato Regional and Medical Center	TBA	Admitted	TBA
146	March 17	52	Male	Filipino	Cardinal Santos Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of Quezon City.
147	March 17	70	Female	Filipino	Cardinal Santos Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of Mandaluyong .
148	March 17	54	Male	Filipino	Cardinal Santos Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of San Juan .
149	March 17	61	Female	TBA	Manila Doctors Hospital	TBA	Admitted	TBA
150	March 17	57	Female	TBA	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	TBA	Admitted	TBA
151	March 17	78	Female	TBA	St. Luke's Medical Center–Global City	TBA	Admitted	TBA
152	March 17	40	Male	TBA	St. Luke's Medical Center–Global City	TBA	Admitted	TBA
153	March 17	34	Female	TBA	St. Luke's Medical Center–Global City	TBA	Admitted	TBA
154	March 17	27	Female	TBA	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	TBA	Admitted	TBA
155	March 17	48	Male	TBA	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	TBA	Admitted	TBA
156	March 17	57	Female	Filipino	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	No	Admitted	A resident of Muntinlupa .
157	March 17	66	Female	TBA	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	TBA	Admitted	TBA
158	March 17	48	Male	TBA	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	TBA	Admitted	TBA
159	March 17	50	Male	TBA	Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center	TBA	Admitted	TBA
160	March 17	86	Female	Filipino	Cardinal Santos Medical Center	No	Died	A resident of San Juan. Died on March 17
161	March 17	38	Male	TBA	Manila Doctors Hospital	TBA	Admitted	TBA
162	March 17	71	Male	Filipino	Diliman Doctors Hospital	No	Admitted	A resident of Quezon City.
163	March 17	55	Male	Filipino	Diliman Doctors Hospital	No	Admitted	A resident of Quezon City.
164	March 17	28	Female	TBA	Makati Health Department	TBA	Admitted	TBA
165	March 17	50	Female	TBA	Santa Ana Hospital	TBA	Admitted	TBA
166	March 17	53	Male	TBA	Santa Ana Hospital	TBA	Admitted	TBA
167	March 17	48	Female	TBA	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	TBA	Admitted	TBA
168	March 17	35	Female	TBA	St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City	TBA	Admitted	TBA
169	March 17	60	Male	TBA	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	TBA	Admitted	TBA
170	March 17	22	Male	TBA	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	TBA	Admitted	TBA
171	March 17	55	Male	TBA	RESU-NCR (reporting facility)	TBA	Admitted	TBA
172	March 17	69	Male	TBA	Diliman Doctors Hospital	TBA	Admitted	TBA
173	March 17	28	Male	TBA	Makati Health Department	TBA	Admitted	TBA
174	March 17	39	Female	TBA	Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center	TBA	Admitted	TBA
175	March 17	35	Male	Filipino	Far Eastern University–Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation	No	Admitted	A resident of Caloocan.
176	March 17	50	Female	TBA	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	TBA	Admitted	TBA
177	March 17	70	Male	TBA	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	TBA	Admitted	TBA
178	March 17	74	Male	TBA	Medical Center Manila	TBA	Admitted	TBA
179	March 17	59	Male	TBA	St. Luke's Medical Center–Global City	TBA	Admitted	TBA
180	March 17	52	Male	TBA	St. Luke's Medical Center–Global City	TBA	Admitted	TBA
181	March 17	39	Male	TBA	Metropolitan Medical Center	TBA	Admitted	TBA
182	March 17	74	Male	TBA	Asian Hospital and Medical Center	TBA	Admitted	TBA
183	March 17	82	Female	TBA	Asian Hospital and Medical Center	TBA	Admitted	TBA
184	March 17	28	Female	TBA	The Medical City	TBA	Admitted	TBA
185	March 17	48	Male	TBA	The Medical City	TBA	Admitted	TBA
186	March 17	28	Female	TBA	The Medical City	TBA	Admitted	TBA
187	March 17	27	Female	TBA	The Medical City	TBA	Admitted	TBA
188	March 18	65	Male	TBA	Chong Hua Hospital Mandaue	TBA	Admitted	TBA
189	March 18	49	Male	TBA	Mandaluyong Medical Center	TBA	Admitted	TBA
190	March 18	37	Female	TBA	San Juan Medical Center	TBA	Admitted	TBA
191	March 18	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA
192	March 18	75	Male	TBA	San Juan Medical Center	TBA	Admitted	TBA
193	March 18	41	Female	TBA	San Juan Medical Center	TBA	Admitted	TBA
194	March 18	42	Female	TBA	Research Institute for Tropical Medicine	TBA	Admitted	TBA
195	March 18	56	Male	Filipino	University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of Las Piñas.
196	March 18	35	Male	Filipino	Pope John Paul II Hospital and Medical Center	No	Admitted	A resident of Las Piñas.
197	March 18	77	Male	Filipino	The Medical City	No	Admitted	A resident of San Juan.
198	March 18	65	Female	Filipino	The Medical City	No	Admitted	A resident of Pasig.
199	March 18	69	Female	Filipino	The Medical City	Yes	Admitted	Recently traveled to Singapore.
200	March 18	37	Male	Filipino	Philippine Heart Center	No	Admitted	A resident of Quezon City.
201	March 18	58	Male	Filipino	Amai Pakpak Medical Center	Yes	Died	Recently traveled to Malaysia; a resident of Lanao del Sur. Died on March 17, a day before his formal diagnosis.
202	March 18	43	Male	TBA	Divine Grace Medical Center	TBA	Admitted	TBA

Cases of Filipino nationals outside the Philippines

Confirmed cases of Filipino
nationals outside the Philippines

Country, territory or place	Confirmed	Recovered	Died
Diamond Princess	80	76	0
United States	19	0	0
Singapore	10	2	0
Hong Kong	5	2	0
United Arab Emirates	4	0	0
France	2	0	0
Greece	1	0	0
Switzerland	1	0	0
Total	122	72	0
Data updated as of March 18, 2020.
Notes

The first three confirmed cases in the Philippines involved foreigners. The first confirmed case of a Filipino national outside the Philippines was announced by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on February 5, 2020—that of a crew member of the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Yokohama, Japan.

On February 8, a Filipino in the UAE was diagonsed to have the coronavirus.

On February 25, the DFA announced that a Filipino national living in Singapore is being treated at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases after being confirmed positive. It was previously reported that the person is a permanent resident of Singapore. On February 29, the second case involving a Filipino was diagnosed positive and is at the Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH). On March 2, it was reported that another Filipino living in Singapore as a domestic helper was diagnosed with the coronavirus and is also treated at NTFGH. On March 4, Singapore announced that the first Filipino case has recovered from the virus.

On March 4, it was announced that a Filipino working in Hong Kong as an overseas worker tested positive for the virus and was immediately placed in quarantine. The Philippine consulate in Hong Kong has reported that two of the Filipinos working in HK who were diagnosed positive were not showing the symptoms with one of them expected to be discharged soon.

On March 9, two Filipinos in Lebanon were tested positive for the virus before they were placed under quarantine in Beirut.

On March 10, a Filipina from Italy was confirmed to have contracted the virus in Switzerland.

On March 11, three Filipinos in Singapore were tested positive with the virus. All three had been to the Philippines recently with one of them visiting a relative with pneumonia. The DOH also confirmed that six Filipinos aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship, which docked in Oakland, California, for quarantine, have contracted the virus. The DFA is currently awaiting the approval of the U.S. Department of State for the repatriation of the affected Filipino nationals.

On March 13, a Filipino working in New York as a diplomat with the Philippines' UN mission was confirmed to be positive for the virus, which led to the entire mission at Philippine Center being disinfected and closed for the day.

On March 14, two Filipinos working in Singapore were confirmed to have the virus and are being isolated and treated.

On March 15, it was reported that 77 Filipinos in Japan have recovered from the virus while three are still in hospital. Two Filipinos in Singapore have recovered. Four in the UAE are in isolation. It was reported in France that two Filipinos were infected, but one of them has recovered.

On March 18, a Filipino woman in Athens was reported to have tested positive for the virus. She had been experiencing mild symptoms and was placed under home quarantine.

Cases of foreign nationals outside the country with travel history in the Philippines

There have been 10 confirmed cases of foreign nationals who went to the Philippines as of March 18.

Confirmed cases of foreign nationals outside the country
with history of travel in the Philippines

FC No.	Nationality	Age	Sex	Travel dates in the country	Date of onset of symptoms	Date of diagnosis	Current disposition
1	Japanese	44	Male	February 21–28	February 28	March 4	Admitted
2	Taiwanese	38	Male	February 28 – March 3	March 2	March 5	Admitted
3	Australian	60	Female	February 12 – March 2	March 2	March 4	Home Quarantine
4	Japanese	37	Male	February 20–28	February 28	March 5	Admitted
5	Singaporean	40s	Male	March 1–3	March 3	March 7	Home Quarantine
6	South Korean	Unknown	Female	January 1 – February 28	February 29	March 10	Under investigation
7	American	31	Male	March 2–8	Unknown	March 12	Stable
8	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA
9	French	41	Male	March 12–13	Unknown	March 15	Stable
–	Australian	34	Male	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
–	Australian	34	Female	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
–	Hongkonger	37	Male	March 2–8	March 8	March 11	Stable
Notes:

Suspected cases

Case summary by test results

Confirmed cases	187
Cases tested negative	655
Cases pending test results	184
Total	1026
As of March 18, 2020

Prior to January 30, there were no medical facilities in the country that can confirm cases of the virus. Prior to that date, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa conducted preliminary tests on suspected cases to determine if they are infected with a coronavirus but could not detect the new strain on patients. Samples from suspected cases with confirmed coronavirus infection had to be sent abroad to the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory in Melbourne, Australia, for confirmatory testing specifically for SARS-CoV-2 strain.

In response to the pandemic following a cleared suspected case, the RITM began the process of acquiring primers and reagents to conduct confirmatory tests in the country. On January 29, it was announced that the RITM has acquired confirmatory kits to be able to test cases in the country. A laboratory for the confirmatory test became operational on January 30. The Philippine Genome Center is also developing a testing kit for the virus and are negotiating with the DOH for possible collaboration on the kit's development.

A testing kit for the virus was announced on February 4 to have been developed by the National Institutes of Health at the University of the Philippines Manila. The kit was developed two weeks prior to the announcement and was subject to evaluation by the DOH. The equipment is a polymerase chain reaction testing kit and is to be produced by Manila HealthTek. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the product a certificate of exemption on March 9 allowing it to be used under field validation until the testing kit receives validation from the World Health Organization. The testing kit is reportedly six times cheaper than its foreign counterparts.

The RITM is also training personnel of four sub-national reference labs of the DOH to help them develop capability to test samples from PUIs. These laboratories are at the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, the Baguio General Hospital in Baguio, the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City, and the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City. The DOH has also allowed private health facilities to seek testing accreditation.

The RITM on February 26, reportedly is purchasing 19,000 testing kits from a source abroad. The number of testing kits by March 9 is around 2,000 from a high of 4,500 at an unspecified date. The government experienced a shortage of testing kits and has prioritized individuals exhibiting symptoms for testing. By March 9, 2020, a total of 2,000 tests has been conducted at a rate of 200 to 250 people accommodated by tests per day.

Patients under investigation

The DOH uses the designation "patients under investigation" (PUIs) to manage suspected and confirmed cases. PUIs involved individuals who had a travel history to Wuhan but by February 3, the DOH has expanded the scope of PUIs to include individuals who had a travel history to any part of China.

As of March 14, there are 912 total PUIs; 694 of which had been discharged or refused admission (but are still "under monitoring"), 209 are currently admitted at a health facility (including 56 confirmed cases), and eight had died (only one of which is an unconfirmed case). The sole PUI mortality not confirmed resulting from the coronavirus is that of a 29-year-old Chinese national from Yunnan confined at a Manila hospital who died from pneumonia and also tested positive for HIV.

Current number of patients under investigation (PUIs) in the Philippines ()

Region	Current PUI status					Total
	Suspected cases		Confirmed cases
	Admitted	Deaths	Admitted	Recoveries	Deaths
Metro Manila (NCR)	80	1	117	1	9	208
Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)	12	0	0	0	0	12
Ilocos Region (Region I)	10	0	1	0	0	11
Cagayan Valley (Region II)	17	0	0	0	0	17
Central Luzon (Region III)	16	0	5	0	1	22
Calabarzon (Region IV-A)	3	0	2	0	0	5
Mimaropa	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bicol Region (Region V)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Western Visayas (Region VI)	1	0	0	0	0	1
Central Visayas (Region VII)	18	0	0	1	1	20
Eastern Visayas (Region VIII)	1	0	0	0	0	1
Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX)	–	–	–	–	–	–
Northern Mindanao (Region X)	5	0	0	0	1	6
Davao Region (Region XI)	15	0	1	1	0	16
Soccsksargen (Region XII)	2	0	0	0	0	2
Caraga (Region XIII)	3	0	0	0	0	3
Bangsamoro (BARMM)	1	0	0	0	0	1
Total	183	1	126	3	12	324
Notes
As of March 16, 2020

Statistics

Confirmed deaths and recoveries by province

COVID-19 cases in the Philippines  ()      Deaths        Recoveries        Active cases
Date			# of cases
2020-01-30		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	1(+1)	(n.a.)
⋮		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	1(=)	(=)
2020-02-02		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	2(+1)	+100%
2020-02-05		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	3(+1)	+50%
2020-02-10		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	3(=)	(=)
⋮		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	3(=)
2020-03-05		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	5(+2)	+67%
⋮		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	5(=)
2020-03-07		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	6(+1)	+20%
2020-03-08		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	10(+4)	+67%
2020-03-09		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	24(+14)	+140%
2020-03-10		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	33(+9)	+38%
2020-03-11		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	49(+16)	+48%
2020-03-12		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	52(+3)	+6%
2020-03-13		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	64(+12)	+23%
2020-03-14		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	111(+47)	+73%
2020-03-15		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	140(+29)	+26%
2020-03-16		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	142(+2)	+1%
2020-03-17		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	187(+45)	+31%
2020-03-18		​ ​ ​ ​ ​	202(+15)	+8%
Sources: Department of Health and COVID-19 tracker

Response

Government

Health advisory on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) release by the Department of Health.

Travel restrictions

Ruffy Biazon, a member of the House of Representatives from Muntinlupa, called on the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on January 22 to suspend flights from Wuhan to the Philippines. Royal Air Charter Service operates direct flights from Wuhan to Kalibo. Philippine travel visas under the "visa-upon-arrival" (VUA) program are now also being denied to tourists from Wuhan. On January 24, the Philippine government decided to deport 135 individuals from Wuhan who arrived in the country through the Kalibo International Airport. There were calls for a wider temporary ban on people entering the country from anywhere in China. Such move was supported by Senators Ralph Recto, Bong Go, Risa Hontiveros, and Francis Pangilinan. The DOH and the Office of the President find no urgent need for such measure.

On January 31, a travel ban on all Chinese nationals from Hubei and other affected areas in China was imposed. The VUA program for Chinese tourists and businessmen was also suspended. On February 2, a ban was introduced on all foreign travellers who have been to China, Hong Kong and Macau in the past 14 days; Philippine citizens and holders of permanent resident visas will be allowed in the country but subjected to a mandatory 14-day quarantine. The Philippine government also ordered a ban on travel to China, Hong Kong and Macau until further notice. On February 10, the ban was further extended to include Taiwan but was lifted on February 15. On February 14, the DOH announced that a risk assessment is carried out to determine if Singapore would be placed under a travel ban. Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. announced that he would not fully support any official travel bans to Singapore. Travel to South Korea was banned for except for permanent residents, Filipino leaving for study, and Overseas Filipino Workers returning for work on February 26.

The Philippine Ports Authority has barred disembarkation by crew or passengers from vessels which have recently visited China, and suspended the visitation privileges of relatives of Filipino seafarers and boarding privileges of non-government organizations providing emotional and spiritual support to seafarers.

Nationwide measures

Following the confirmation of the first localized transmission on March 7, the DOH raised its alert to Code Red Sub-Level 1. Health Secretary Francisco Duque and Senator Bong Go, chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, recommended to President Duterte to declare a public health emergency in the country, which would authorize local government units to employ their local disaster risk reduction management funds. President Duterte issued Proclamation No. 922 on March 9, formally declaring a public health emergency.

The Department of Trade and Industry on March 9 issued a directive ordering retailers should only allow the sale of two bottles of each type of disinfectant per person as a measure against hoarding. In line with the public health emergency declaration, the department imposed a 60-day price freeze on basic commodities.

On March 16, the president signed Proclamation No. 929 declaring a state of calamity throughout the country for a period of six months, bringing into effect the following:

• price control of basic needs and commodities,
• granting of interest-free loans,
• distribution of calamity funds,
• authorization of importation and receipt of donations, and
• hazard allowance for public health workers and government personnel in the fields of science and technology.

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) announced that it would provide ₱30-billion (US$581-million) worth of advance payment to its accredited health facilities in order for health care providers to obtain the liquid capital required to efficiently respond to the crisis. PhilHealth also subsided some of its policies on its members; it waived the 45-day coverage and single period of confinement policies, while extending payment deadlines until the end of April and the failing period of claims from 60 days to at least 120 days. In addition, PhilHealth announced that PUIs quarantined in its accredited facilities are entitled to a ₱14,000 ($270) health package, while those who tested positive for COVID-19 are entitled to a ₱32,000 ($580) beneficiary package.

Lockdowns

Given the rapidly increasing number of cases in the National Capital Region, Albay 2nd district representative Joey Salceda proposed a week-long lockdown of the region in order to prevent the disease from spreading nationwide. Salceda specifically proposed the closure of the Philippine expressway network and public transportation accessing the region, in addition to the suspension of classes and work. President Duterte initially rejected the proposal claiming it would "hamper the flow of basic commodities". Secretary Duque, however, raised the possibility of a lockdown on certain cities or towns if cases of community-based transmissions are reported, but not an entire region.

Community quarantine in the Philippines.

Local government units under partial lockdown ()
Local government unit	Region	Start date	Est. pop.	Cases	Deaths	Recov.
Community quarantine
Ilocos Norte	I	March 14, 2020	593,081	0	0	0
Oriental Mindoro	Mimaropa	March 14, 2020	844,059	0	0	0
Ilocos Sur	I	March 15, 2020	689,668	0	0	0
Caloocan	NCR	March 15, 2020	1,583,978	3	0	0
Las Piñas	NCR	March 15, 2020	588,894	2	0	0
Makati	NCR	March 15, 2020	582,602	15	0	0
Malabon	NCR	March 15, 2020	365,525	0	0	0
Mandaluyong	NCR	March 15, 2020	386,276	5	0	0
Manila	NCR	March 15, 2020	1,780,148	8	2	1
Marikina	NCR	March 15, 2020	450,741	6	0	0
Muntinlupa	NCR	March 15, 2020	504,509	1	2	0
Navotas	NCR	March 15, 2020	249,463	0	0	0
Parañaque	NCR	March 15, 2020	664,822	5	0	0
Pasay	NCR	March 15, 2020	416,522	2	0	0
Pasig	NCR	March 15, 2020	755,300	11	0	0
Pateros	NCR	March 15, 2020	63,840	0	0	0
Quezon City	NCR	March 15, 2020	2,936,116	24	1	0
San Juan	NCR	March 15, 2020	122,180	15	0	0
Taguig	NCR	March 15, 2020	804,915	3	0	0
Valenzuela	NCR	March 15, 2020	620,422	0	0	0
San Jose del Monte	III	March 15, 2020	574,089	–	0	0
Cainta	IV-A	March 15, 2020	322,128	–	0	0
Bacolod	VI	March 15, 2020	561,875	0	0	0
Iloilo	VI	March 15, 2020	1,936,423	0	0	0
Tagaytay	IV-A	March 15, 2020	71,181	–	0	0
Zamboanga del Norte	IX	March 15, 2020	1,011,393	0	0	0
Baguio	CAR	March 16, 2020	345,366	–	0	0
Bohol	VII	March 16, 2020	1,313,560	0	0	1
Abra	CAR	March 17, 2020	241,160	1	0	0
Apayao	CAR	March 17, 2020	119,184	0	0	0
Benguet	CAR	March 17, 2020	446,224	0	0	0
Ifugao	CAR	March 17, 2020	202,802	0	0	0
Kalinga	CAR	March 17, 2020	212,680	0	0	0
Mountain Province	CAR	March 17, 2020	154,590	0	0	0
La Union	I	March 17, 2020	786,653	0	0	0
Pangasinan	I	March 17, 2020	2,956,726	0	0	0
Batanes	II	March 17, 2020	17,246	0	0	0
Cagayan	II	March 17, 2020	1,199,320	0	0	0
Isabela	II	March 17, 2020	1,593,566	0	0	0
Nueva Vizcaya	II	March 17, 2020	452,287	0	0	0
Quirino	II	March 17, 2020	188,991	0	0	0
Aurora	III	March 17, 2020	214,336	0	0	0
Bataan	III	March 17, 2020	760,650	1	0	0
Bulacan	III	March 17, 2020	3,292,071	4	0	0
Nueva Ecija	III	March 17, 2020	2,151,461	0	0	0
Pampanga	III	March 17, 2020	2,609,744	2	1	0
Tarlac	III	March 17, 2020	1,366,027	1	0	0
Zambales	III	March 17, 2020	823,888	0	0	0
Batangas	IV-A	March 17, 2020	2,694,335	3	0	0
Cavite	IV-A	March 17, 2020	3,678,301	4	0	0
Laguna	IV-A	March 17, 2020	3,035,081	1	0	0
Quezon	IV-A	March 17, 2020	2,122,830	1	0	0
Rizal	IV-A	March 17, 2020	2,884,227	7	1	0
Marinduque	Mimaropa	March 17, 2020	234,521	0	0	0
Occidental Mindoro	Mimaropa	March 17, 2020	487,414	0	0	0
Palawan	Mimaropa	March 17, 2020	1,104,585	0	0	0
Romblon	Mimaropa	March 17, 2020	292,781	0	0	0
Albay	V	March 17, 2020	1,314,826	0	0	0
Camarines Norte	V	March 17, 2020	583,313	0	0	0
Camarines Sur	V	March 17, 2020	1,952,544	1	0	0
Catanduanes	V	March 17, 2020	260,964	0	0	0
Masbate	V	March 17, 2020	892,393	0	0	0
Sorsogon	V	March 17, 2020	792,949	0	0	0
Bukidnon	X	March 17, 2020	1,415,226	0	0	0
Davao de Oro	XI	March 17, 2020	736,107	0	0	0
	Quarantine total		61,946,982	126	12	2
Pandemic ongoing: Infection and fatality data as of March 16, 2020.
Notes:

On March 12, President Duterte announced a partial lockdown covering Metro Manila, that begun on March 15 and will last until April 14. Under the partial lockdown:

• The region is closed to land, air, and sea travel. However, mass transportation within Metro Manila such as the Manila LRT and MRT continues to operate under proper social distancing guidelines.
• Suspension of classes at all levels in Metro Manila is extended until April 14.
• Spontaneous and planned mass gatherings are banned.
• Work in the Executive department is suspended under the lockdown period.
• The Department of Labor and Employment encourages employers in the private sector to arrange "flexible work arrangements".

In addition, President Duterte advised local government units outside of the National Capital Region to implement a community quarantine in cases where, in a given level of local government, at least two COVID-19 cases are confirmed within a lower level of its jurisdiction; for example, a province-wide quarantine should be implemented if there are at least two COVID-19 cases confirmed within different cities or municipalities in the same province, while a city/municipality-wide quarantine should be implemented if there are at least two COVID-19 cases confirmed within different barangays in the same city or municipality. Local government units were also authorized to utilize their quick response funds upon declaration of a state of emergency.

Cainta also initiated a partial lockdown on March 15, after three cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the municipality. Bohol Governor Arthur C. Yap announced that the province would be placed under community quarantine from March 16 to 20 and will prohibit tourists from entering during the quarantine period.

Following the declaration of community quarantine on Metro Manila, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) suspended the enforcement of the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program, more commonly known as the number coding scheme. On the eve of the Metro Manila lockdown, the MMDA announced the imposition of an area-wide curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following day to be observed during the lockdown, during which only "essential movements" for the purchase of essential needs or in cases of emergency are permitted during those hours. The imposition of the curfew was unanimously approved through a joint resolution by the Metro Manila mayors. In that joint resolution, the Metro Manila Council also ordered the closure of shopping malls and other establishments during the lockdown.

On March 16, President Duterte imposed an "enhanced" community quarantine covering the entire Luzon, which entails the following measures:

• the suspension of mass public transportation;
• restricted land, air, and sea travel, in which Overseas Filipinos and foreign nationals are given a 72-hour window (until March 20) to depart the Philippines from any port of entry in Luzon;
• the imposition of strict home quarantine among all households;
• the organization of telecommuting arrangements for the executive government, with the exception of the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and health and emergency frontline services;
• and the closure of all private establishments, except for those providing essential goods and services and business process outsourcing establishments.

On March 17, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles announced that the Office of the President, through the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, had rescinded the 72-hour window for which Overseas Filipinos and foreign nationals were allowed to depart the country from Luzon. As such, outbound passengers are permitted to depart the Philippines at anytime during the period of the "enhanced" community quarantine, but Filipino residents are still prohibited from doing so.

Local government

Local governments also took preventive measures against the pandemic. The local government of Sagada closed all government-managed tourist destinations in the municipality. The local government of Samal has also barred all foreigners coming from countries affected by the coronavirus pandemic as well as all individuals suspected to have been infected wit the virus, and those who were previously quarantined from entering the island city. Mayor Kit Nieto of Cainta, where the fifth case resides, ordered the immediate provision of face masks and disinfectants in areas near the residence of the patient. The patient's family, as well as his neighbors, were placed under quarantine. Nieto suspended classes in Cainta from March 7 to 10. Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco appealed to the Department of Education to pass all students in the city for the school year. Upon reaching a consensus with the mayors of Metro Manila due to the rapidly increasing number of cases especially in the area, President Rodrigo Duterte suspended classes across all levels in Metro Manila from March 10 to 14 as a preventive measure.

Ilocos Norte

On March 13, 2020, Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Manotoc issued Executive Order No. 59-20 which suspended classes in private and public institutions indefinitely and mandated the duties of school officials/administrators and parents/guardians, which included the adoption of and participation in alternative measures for course completion. On March 14, 2020, he signed Executive Order No. 60-20 which placed the province under community quarantine. The order activated Task Force Salun-at, which was previously institutionalized under Executive Order No. 51-20. Under the provisions of Executive Order No. 60-20, Task Force Salun-at was given authority over the province to deny entry to certain individuals based on criteria specified in the order, and enforce checking of individuals seeking entry and required clearance, endorsement, quarantine, and monitoring. The executive order also included provisions for the:

• regulation of ports and borders;
• the preparation of health information forms,
• personal and public preventive measures,
• identification of quarantine areas,
• prohibition of hoarding, reselling, and price spikes, and
• prohibition of the spreading of fake news.

Ilocos Sur

In Ilocos Sur, Governor Ryan Luis V. Singson issued Executive Order No. 12 and Executive Order No. 13, on March 12 and 13, 2020, respectively. The executive orders mandated the suspension of classes in all levels from March 13 to April 12, 2020, as well as the suspension of other school activities that involve the gathering of crowds, at both public and private schools in the province.

On March 15, the province was placed under community quarantine through Executive Order No. 14 which restricted the movement of people to and from Ilocos Sur, mandated the establishment of checkpoints and conditions for transportation and travel, prohibited social gatherings, encouraged flexible/alternative work arrangements or suspension of work, suspended tourism, prohibited hoarding, delineated rules for business establishments, and imposed curfew.

Repatriation

From mainland China

Repatriated Filipinos disembark their plane at the Clark Air Base on February 9, 2020

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III inspecting the facilities of the Mega Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center at Fort Magsaysay.

The government began the repatriation of Filipino nationals in China on January 18. Flights were organised to repatriate Filipinos in the Hubei. Upon arrival in the Philippines, individuals underwent mandatory quarantine for 14 days.

The Mega Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija and Caballo Island in Manila Bay are being considered as possible quarantine sites for repatriated Filipinos. President Rodrigo Duterte said that the government may seize private property for conversion to quarantine sites. It was later decided that the Athlete's Village at the New Clark City Sports Hub which also has a clinic run by the Philippine General Hospital will be used as a quarantine site for repatriated Filipinos. New Clark City was locked down on February 6 in preparation for the arrival of the repatriated. The first batch of repatriated Filipinos arrived at the Clark Air Base via a Royal Air chartered flight on February 9. From the air base, designated buses transported them to the quarantine site at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac.

All 30 repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers in New Clark City received a clean bill of health and released from quarantine on February 22 along with the ten-member joint DFA-DOH Health Emergency Response Team, six flight crew members, and three ground operators which assisted in the repatriation process. During the quarantine period, none of the individuals displayed any symptoms with one woman giving birth.

There are around 150 Filipinos who live in Wuhan alone, about 40 to 50 of whom have asked to be repatriated.

From Macau

On March 7, the Philippine government announced that an airlift operation will be launched to bring home 167 Filipinos working in Macau.

From international conveyance

See also: 2020 coronavirus pandemic on cruise ships

The Philippine government announced on February 17 that they have began the process of repatriating on board the Diamond Princess which was quarantined off the coast of Yokohama due to confirmed COVID-19 infection. 445 Filipinos (440 being crew members and 5 being passengers) were quarantined in New Clark City. The repatriates arrived in the Philippines via two separate flights on February 25 and 26.

After completing a 14-day quarantine period, repatriated seafarers will be given aid by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). Each will receive ₱10,000 from the OWWA and ₱20,000 livelihood grant will be made available to Filipino seafarers who opted to stay permanently in the Philippines.

Thirteen repatriates exhibited symptoms after arrival but all tested negative for the COVID-19.

On March 15, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) repatriated a total of 444 Filipinos (including 438 crew members and 6 passengers) from the cruise ship Grand Princess docked in the Port of Oakland in California. Repatriates arrived on March 16 at Clark International Airport and were transported to New Clark City for quarantine.

Other measures

Grand staircase of Malacañang Palace, the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the Philippines, being disinfected and decontaminated on March 12, 2020.

The Presidential Security Group would start implementing a "no-touch" policy during meetings by President Duterte with politicians, reporters and visitors.

Several government officials, including President Duterte, opted to undergo a self-quarantine after interacting with individuals confirmed to have COVID-19. This includes almost half of all members of the Senate of the Philippines, several members of the Cabinet, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte. Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri tested positive for the virus. Several government facilities, including the offices of the Asian Development Bank, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Department of Finance, and the Government Service Insurance System (which also hosts the Senate), as well as Malacañang Palace, temporarily closed for disinfection following exposure from those officials who have interacted with a COVID-19 patient.

Private firms

Local airlines AirAsia, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific suspended flights between China and its territories (Macau and Hong Kong) and the Philippines from February 2.

The Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong temporarily closed on March 11 after one of its guests, a Singaporean permanent resident, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19.

Mall operators Ayala Malls and SM Supermalls have enforced stricter measures at its malls to safeguard larger volumes of customers and employees. These include temperature checks at mall entrances, an increase in the availability of alcohol and hand sanitizer dispensers, and the disinfection of restrooms occurring at smaller time intervals. In accordance with government directives to observe social distancing measures, some mall operators including Megaworld Lifestyle Malls have implemented a "single seat gap" policy in cinemas, in which moviegoers are required to sit one seat apart from each other. Following the MMDA's imposition of an area-wide curfew during the Metro Manila lockdown, mall operators Ayala Malls, SM Supermalls, Robinsons Malls, and Vista Malls initially announced that it would shorten the operating hours of its malls in the area, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., in response. However, Metro Manila city governments later passed ordinances mandating the temporary closure of malls with the exception of essential services from March 16 "until further notice", in accordance with the joint resolution passed by the Metro Manila Council regarding the lockdown.

The country's largest telecommunications services, Globe Telecom and Smart Communications, both announced that they would offer its subscribers free services during the pandemic; Globe would offer free unlimited Internet connection in some hospitals in Metro Manila from March 13 to April 15, while Smart would offer free access to government websites issuing updates and advisories, as well as toll-free access to emergency hotlines.

San Miguel Corporation, the largest corporation in the Philippines in terms of revenue, announced that its food, fuel, and power generation facilities would continue operation to provide essential services, amid the "enhanced" community quarantine in Luzon. President Ramon S. Ang gave assurances of the company's capability to produce sufficient food supplies and its commitment to continue paying its employees.

The Ayala Corporation, the country's largest corporation in terms of assets, announced a ₱2.4-billion (US$46.4 million) relief package for employees of its subsidiaries; the package comprises of salary continuance, rent condonation for affected tenants of the Ayala Malls, leave conversions, loan deferments, and other financial assistance measures.

Following the declaration of an "enhanced" community quarantine on Luzon, numerous tertiary and quaternary sector companies had decided to implement a 30 to 90-day grace period of payment deadlines for its customers. Such companies include Banco de Oro, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Cignal TV, EastWest Bank, Globe Telecom, Manila Water, Manulife, Maynilad Water Services, Meralco, PLDT, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, Smart Communications, Security Bank, Sky Cable, Sun Cellular, Sun Life Financial, and the Union Bank of the Philippines.

Religious sector

The Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines has issued preventive guidelines against the pandemic through the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). In January 2020, the CBCP has issued a liturgical guideline which urges mass attendees to "practice ordinarily" the receiving of communion by hand, and avoid holding hands while praying "Our Father" during Mass. As a spiritual measure against the spread of the disease, the CBCP has also composed a oratio imperata (obligatory prayer) which is to be recited in mass. In February 2020, the CBCP issued a second liturgical guideline in anticipation of the Lenten season. The bishops suggested that during Ash Wednesday, ashes will be sprinkled on the faithfuls' head instead of the customary marking of the forehead with a cross to minimize body contact. The CBCP also urged people to refrain from kissing or touching the cross for veneration during Good Friday, particularly the celebration of the Passion of Jesus. They suggested genuflection or bowing as an alternative to the practice.

On March 9, 2020, Manila Apostolic Administrator, Broderick Pabillo, issued a pastoral letter advising practitioners and clergy members experiencing flu-like symptoms to refrain from attending Mass or visiting churches, recommending them to watch Masses through television or online streaming instead. Pabillo also ordered the provision of disinfectants in churches and chapels and the barricading of statues and sacred images to prevent people from holding or kissing them. The Archdiocese of Manila which covers churches in the cities of Manila, Makati, San Juan, Mandaluyong, and Pasay (except Villamor Air Base and Newport City areas) suspended all public religious activities including Masses from March 14 to 20, 2020. The Archdiocese of Cebu followed suit by suspending all public masses and other religious gatherings starting March 18, 2020 until further notice. Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma has directed the live streaming of Eucharistic celebrations and other religious events through social media as well as broadcasting of Holy Masses on television and radio.

The The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints directed missionaries assigned in the Philippines who are not native to the country to move out for temporary reassignment to another country. They were ordered to self-quarantine in their new homes for 14 days.

Foreign aid

The government of China and the United States has pledged support to the Philippine government response against COVID-19. China announced that it would be donating medical supplies including 100,000 testing kits, 100,000 surgical masks, 10,000 N95 masks, and 10,000 sets of personal protective equipment. The United States through USAID also pledged $2.7 million worth of aid to help the Philippines develop adequate testing capabilities, and ensure the availability of medical supplies through USAID's "on-the-ground partners".

Treatment and remedy

The Philippine Council on Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (PCHRD-DOST) on February 7 plans to distribute an undisclosed "functional food" to help individuals with COVID-19 infection to combat the disease within a month. A "functional food" is described by the PCHRD-DOST as similar to how the herb locally known as tawa-tawa is used as a remedy against dengue. The undisclosed functional food is already used for other diseases and is not a drug that requires registration with the FDA.

The PCHRD-DOST as part of the government's interagency committee proposed funding for screening for antibodies against COVID-19 in blood specimens collected from COVID-19 PUIs in the Philippines to help contribute to international efforts to understand the disease. However, there is no government-led research in the Philippines to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.

The DOH has issued a reminder, that Level 2 and 3 hospitals cannot deny admittance of people suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 infection and refusal of admission is a "violation of the signed Performance Commitment and shall be dealt with by the PhilHealth accordingly". The department said that Level 2 and 3 hospitals can accommodate individuals with mild COVID-19 symptoms while individuals in a serious or critical condition may be transferred to one of the DOH's three referral hospitals; the RITM, Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City, and the San Lazaro Hospital.

Russian Ambassador of the Philippines Igor Khovaev announced that the Russian government is offering to donate to Filipino officials a Russian-developed over-the-counter drug called "Cicloferon" claimed to have cured the symptoms of COVID-19 on Russian patients. The FDA and DOH have classified the said drug as treatment rather than cure.

Impact

Further information: Socio-economic impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic

Economy

See also: 2020 stock market crash

On March 9, 2020, the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) index lost 457.77 points or 6.76%, its steepest decline since the financial crisis of 2007–08. The following day, shares plunged by 6.23% to ₱5,957.35, settling below the 6,000 level benchmark and entering bear market territory. The mining and oil industries were the most affected with a 9.05% drop, followed by holding companies with 6.93% drop. The PSE's circuit breaker mechanism was invoked for the second time since the measure's introduction in 2008 halting trade for 15 minutes.

The retail industry in the Philippines was affected by the pandemic. According to the Philippine Retailers Association, the "total retail environment" saw a decline of 30% to 50%. SM Investments, the country's largest retailer, saw a decline of 10% to 20% in domestic sales.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines estimates that around 7,000 people may lose jobs within the first half of 2020 due to the pandemic. This followed Philippine Airlines' decision to lay off 300 of its workers due to losses caused by the pandemic. Philippines AirAsia also dropped its plan to debut in the Philippine Stock Exchange within 2020 and decided to focus on expanding its domestic operations after government ban on China and South Korea which threatened 30% of its revenue. Employees of Cebu Pacific, the country's largest airline, compromised on a pay cut amounting to 10% in order to avoid layoffs.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) revised its economic growth outlook for the Philippines in 2020 from a 6.5% to 7.5% gross domestic product (GDP) growth registered in late 2019, to a 5.5% to 6.5% GDP growth, following the pandemic. The NEDA cited the decline in service exports, especially tourism. Moody's Analytics also reduced its GDP growth outlook for the country, from 5.9% in 2019 to 4.9% following the pandemic.

Entertainment and media

Further information: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on cinema and Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on television

The DOH issued an advisory for the cancellation of large public events and mass gatherings, such as concerts, until further notice in an effort to minimize the risk of spreading the disease. This prompted several local and international artists to either cancel or postpone their scheduled concerts, including 98 Degrees, Ogie Alcasid and Ian Veneracion, Green Day, Hyukoh, Jimmy Eat World, Khalid, Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morissette, One Ok Rock, the fan meet of the Running Man cast, Slipknot, Gary Valenciano, and the Wanderland Music and Arts Festival.

Local television networks has temporarily stopped admitting live audience for their television shows, including variety shows Eat Bulaga! on GMA Network as well as It's Showtime and ASAP on ABS-CBN. On March 13, both ABS-CBN and GMA announced that they would suspend productions on their drama shows as well as other entertainment programs by March 15. ABS-CBN introduced a temporary lineup of programs for its special primetime programming featuring reruns of the network's old drama shows.

On March 17, MediaQuest-run networks Radyo5 92.3 News FM, One News, and One PH suspended its regular programming as an effect of the Luzon-wide "enhanced community quarantine". On the following day (March 18), CNN Philippines was forced to go off air for 24 hours after an employee working at the Worldwide Corporate Center, where the network's headquarters is situated, was confirmed to be positive with COVID-19.

Medical supply

Seller of face masks made of cloth draws buyers on March 11, 2020. People resort to cloth face masks amid the shortage and higher price of surgical masks.

Shortage of medical masks was reported in various parts of the country due to concerns over the pandemic. RITM director Celia Carlos urged the public against hoarding masks to ensure ample supply for medical workers directly dealing with patients suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 infection. The Department of Trade and Industry in cooperation with the Philippine National Police are acting against reports of traders hoarding face masks and selling said item at an overpriced rate. The DTI has also directed its Philippine International Trading Corp. to import 5 million masks from overseas. Medtecs International Corp. Ltd., the sole manufacturer of medical mask in the country, has committed to provide supply to the government through the DTI.

Sports

Further information: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on sports

Several ongoing sports leagues in the Philippines, such as the ASEAN Basketball League, Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Philippine Basketball Association, Philippines Football League, Philippine Super Liga, and the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, were suspended. Upcoming sporting competitions hosted by the country, specifically the 2020 ASEAN Para Games, the 2020 Palarong Pambansa in Marikina, and the Philippine National Games, were postponed.

Regional qualification games involving Philippine national teams were likewise postponed; the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualification home match of the Philippine men's national basketball team against Thailand scheduled for February 20 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum was rescheduled, while FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation suspended the Philippine national football team's three remaining matches in the second round of qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Some games, however, pushed through but were played behind closed doors to prevent the spread of the virus amongst the audience. Prior to the suspension of the Philippine Super Liga, three matches in the PSL Grand Prix Conference on March 10 were played at an empty Filoil Flying V Centre. On March 11, local football team Ceres–Negros F.C. played their 2020 AFC Cup home match against Bali United F.C. behind closed doors at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Cancelled sports leagues and tournaments in the Philippines due to COVID-19 pandemic:

• ASEAN Para Games (March 20-28) – a multi-sport for differently-abled ASEAN athletes. This would be the second postponement of the games; initially postponed to March due to non-COVID-19 related concerns.
• Palarong Pambansa (May 1–9) – a national multi-sport event; postponed.
• Philippines Football League (opening on March 21) – tentatively delayed starting date to April 18.
• PBA Philippine Cup (opening on March 8) – Had already progressed but suspended on March 10.
• Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association (CARAA) Meet (February 16–21) – a regional multi-sport event. Initially postponed as a precautionary measure on February 4; later cancelled on March 9.

Tourism

The Kaamulan Festival, a yearly ethnic cultural festival of the Bukidnon, is one of the canceled festivals in the Philippines due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The NEDA during a House of Representative committee hearing said that the coronavirus pandemic would incur a ₱22.7 billion monthly loss of tourism revenue and the impact of the pandemic could last around five to six months based from past experiences from the SARS, H1N1, and the MERS outbreaks. Over 5,200 flights covering a period of two months which was to be serviced by member airlines of the Air-Carriers Association of the Philippines was cancelled.

The National Museum of the Philippines temporarily closed their complex in Manila and all branch museums throughout the country. On March 13, the National Parks Development Committee also closed Rizal Park and Paco Park until further notice while the Intramuros Administration closed several sites in Intramuros, including Fort Santiago, Museo de Intramuros and Casa Manila.

The following are canceled and postponed festivals due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic:

• Kalilangan Festival of General Santos (February 14–27)
• Ubaya Festival of Besao, Mountain Province (February 29–March 4)
• Pakaradjaan Festival of Basilan (March)
• the first nationwide Philippine Shopping Festival(March 1–31) – not cancelled but postponed
• Seslong Festival of T'Boli, South Cotabato (March 5–16)
• Ayowweng di Lambak Festival of the Tadian, Mountain Province (March 6–8)
• Wanderland Music and Arts Festival of Muntinlupa (March 7–8) – not canceled but postponed
• Art in the Park of Salcedo Park, Makati (March 15) – not canceled but postponed
• Panagbenga Festival of Baguio (starting March 21) – initially postponed as a precautionary measure on January 31; later cancelled on March 9.
• The annual Tobacco Festival of Candon (usually running from March 18-28) including the annual Begnas Festival in Galimuyod, Ilocos Sur on March 9-11, 2020; and the Cacao Festival of Salcedo, Ilocos Sur on March 19-21, 2020.
• Kaamulan Festival of Bukidnon (March 23-April 23)
• Lubao Hot Air Balloon Festival of Lubao, Pampanga (April 3–5)
• Magayon Festival of Albay (April)
• Paynauen Duyan Festival of Iba, Zambales (Apri 21-26)
• Tinelas Festival of Liliw (April 28-May 3)
• Dinamulag Festival of Zambales (April 29-May 2)
• Sarangani Bay Festival of Sarangani Bay (May 28–30)

Misinformation and hoaxes

Further information: Misinformation related to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic

Several misinformation has spread through social media in the Philippines regarding the nature of the coronavirus pandemic. Among these hoaxes include:

• SARS-CoV-2 being a type of rabies along with advice to not eat bats. The virus is in the coronavirus family and is unrelated to rabies.
• Boiled ginger as a cure for COVID-19. There is no concrete scientific proof for this claim. Mark Pasayan, a doctor from the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases says that while cold weather may susceptible to COVID-19 infection, intake of hot or cold food has no correlation to prevention and treatment of the disease.
• The government supposedly imposing 14-day quarantine for travellers coming from 20 countries. An infographic supporting the claim was circulated purportedly from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). On February 7, the DILG denied the claim. At that time the quarantine measure is only being imposed from travellers from three territories: Mainland China, Macau, and Hong Kong.
• Viral posts with various claims such as avoidance of eating ice cream and cold food, and encouraging exposure to sunlight as a means of prevention against COVID-19 purportedly from UNICEF. UNICEF Philippines has issued a statement disassociating itself from the posts peddling false and misleading information.
• The Department of Health supposedly issuing an advisory on the proliferation of fake cigarettes which is claimed to be a method of transmission of COVID-19. The government agency did not issue such advisory.
• A widely circulated graphic on social media claimed that gargling warm water with salt would "eliminate the virus." DOH Undersecretary Eric Domingo said that while the saline water has been a recognized home treatment for symptoms of sore throat for many generations, there is no evidence suggesting its capability to kill the virus.

The Department of Health has advised against spreading misinformation and unverified claims concerning the pandemic.

The Philippine National Police has taken action against the spread of misinformation related to the pandemic and has warned the public that misinformation purveyors could be charged for violating Presidential Decree no. 90 for "declaring local rumor, mongering and spreading false information". In the case of misinformation circulated online, violators could be charged for violating Cybercrime Prevention Act which has a maximum penalty of imprisonment for 12 years.

According to the DOH, the cremation of the body of the first confirmed COVID-19 death in the Philippines has been hampered by the proliferation of misinformation.

See also

• 2009 flu pandemic in the Philippines

External links

• Updates on Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) by the Department of Health, Situation tracker, updated daily.
• COVID-19 cases tracker by the Philippines' Department of Health
• Worldwide Coronavirus Map, confirmed Cases – Map the route paths of coronavirus confirmed cases.
• COVID-19 Philippines Data and Case Tracker