Deaths higher in Asean as new Covid-19 cases see a decline
Southeast Asia saw an increase in Covid-19-related deaths on Monday despite a decline in new cases for the second consecutive day, collated data showed.
Asean reported 74,233 new cases on Monday, lower than Sunday’s 78,170, while deaths rose to 1,593 from the previous day’s 1,509.
The number of Covid-19 cases crossed 10.53 million and the death toll to 233,797.
The Philippines will lift a stay-at-home order in Metro Manila from this Wednesday as it trials "granular lockdowns" in a bid to rein in the coronavirus cases and revive the economy. The lighter restrictions in the national capital, which accounts for about a third of the country's economy, will enable many hard-hit businesses to reopen and spur local tourism. Based on the government’s guidelines, restaurants will be allowed to accept diners and beauty salons are permitted to operate -- albeit at reduced capacity.
Meanwhile, Vietnam's capital Hanoi extended Covid-19 restrictions on Monday for a further two weeks, as authorities launched a plan to conduct tests on the city's 8 million people to try to curb a climb in infections. Hanoi, which has ordered people to stay home and halted all non-essential activities since July, has divided the city into "red", "orange" and "green" zones based on infection risk. People residing in the red zone must undergo Covid-19 testing three times per week, while those in other zones would be tested every five to seven days by either a RT-PCR or rapid antigen test.
