Asia Today: Philippine lockdown to be eased, with caution

BANGKOK (AP) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said the massive lockdown that has restricted millions to their homes will be eased, but he warned that people who want to return to work must follow safeguards to avoid more deaths and a second wave of COVID-19 outbreaks.

The Philippine economy contracted in the first quarter and the finance secretary reported that up to 1.5 million jobs have been lost during the lockdown on Luzon island, the country's most populous region and which includes the capital, Manila.

Duterte made the announcement in videotaped remarks shown on nationwide TV on Tuesday. He said his spokesman will later disclose which regions will remain under lockdown and which areas would be released from it based on the scale and speed of infections. The two-month lockdown was supposed to last until May 15.

“Don’t gamble with COVID,” Duterte said.

The Philippines has reported more than 11,000 infections, including 726 deaths.

In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:

— CHINA HAS ONE NEW CASE: China reported just one new coronavirus case, as the government presses ahead with reopening measures. Some students in Beijing have returned, and Shanghai Disneyland and the ancient Forbidden City have reopened to limited visitors with social distancing maintained. Also Tuesday, the National Health Commission said 115 people remain in treatment. Tuesday’s single new case follows double-digit increases over the previous two days that had set off renewed warnings from officials for citizens not to become overconfident and prompted the suspension of train service to one affected county in the northeastern province of Jilin.

— TESTING SEOUL CLUBGOERS: South Korea has reported 27 new cases as health workers work to test thousands of people who...