Commuters returning to work in the Philippines' capital Manila faced spotty transportation on Monday as the country moved to relax a strict lockdown imposed in mid-March to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.
Under the relaxed lockdown, the government has eased quarantine measures in Metro Manila and allowed a wide range of companies to operate in a bid to revive the pandemic-hit economy.
But with only limited public transport services made available, partly to ensure social distancing among bus, train and taxi passengers, many commuters were left stranded on major roads or train stations, and reported late for work on Monday morning.
The military even helped transport stranded commuters on trucks and buses on key roads.
The Transportation Department, recognizing a discrepancy between available transport vehicles and the number of commuters needing them, had urged the public to limit travel and to stay at home if possible.
"That is why we are saying to the public that...don't travel as we have limited public transportation," Michael Capati, director of operations at Metro Rail Transit Corp., said.
Train commuters found seats inside marked with stickers to show where they may sit or stand as part of physical distancing measures.
Meanwhile, the Metro Manila Development Authority and local governments are working together to make available more bike lanes along roads so people can use bikes while transportation remains limited during the eased restrictions.
Domestic flights will remain suspended this week after the Philippine government asked airlines to hold off on flights that were supposed to restart Monday.
Philippine Airlines on Monday started providing limited international flights, such as to Japan, the United States, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and China.
While the government has moved to ease the lockdown, it has not been able to stem the virus's spread.
The Philippines had been seeing roughly 200-300 new cases daily since late March. But on Thursday, when President Rodrigo Duterte announced an eased lockdown, the country reported 539 new cases.
The following day, it logged 1,046 cases, marking its largest daily increase during the pandemic.
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