Philippines limits Manila airport arrivals as COVID-19 cases rise

The Philippines will limit foreign arrivals in its main Manila airport to 1,500 passengers a day for a month starting March 18, the Civil Aeronautics Board said, as coronavirus infections surged anew.

Philippine Airlines, in a Facebook post, said it may cancel some international flights. Some passengers will also have to postpone travel to Manila to comply with immigration directives, the carrier also said. Most foreigners are still barred from entering the country.

The Philippines, which has Southeast Asia's second-worst outbreak, reported daily cases above 4,000 for the fifth day on Tuesday, bringing total infections over 631,000. Its daily count has hit the highest since August in the past days, but the surge is seen to have limited impact on the economy.

Several tourist spots in the historic Intramuros district of the nation's capital will be closed until further notice, its administrator said on its Facebook account. The government in the past weeks allowed theme parks along with cinemas and conferences to resume operations as it sought to further reopen an economy that's likely to remain in recession this quarter.