MANILA (AP) — Thousands of people jammed coronavirus vaccination centres in the Philippine capital, defying social distancing restrictions, after false news spread that unvaccinated residents would be deprived of cash aid or barred from leaving home during a two-week lockdown that started yesterday.
Officials placed Metropolitan Manila back under lockdown until August 20, as a new spike in COVID-19 infections that health officials said could be due to the highly contagious Delta variant threatens to overwhelm hospitals. Three other regions, including nearby Laguna province, were also placed under lockdown until August 15.
A day before the lockdown, false news spread on social media that unvaccinated residents would either be prohibited from leaving their homes to go to work or deprived of PHP1,000 aid. It sent large crowds heading for vaccination centers in the cities of Manila, Las Pinas and Antipolo even without prior registrations.
