Duterte says country cannot afford more lockdowns

July 26, 2021 - 6:50 PM
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A local official wears a face mask and a face shield as protection against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) near a community quarantine checkpoint in a village under local lockdown, in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines, February 25, 2021. (Reuters/Lisa Marie David)

MANILA — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday warned that prolonged COVID-19 lockdowns would inflict great damage on the economy, as he urged Filipinos to get vaccinated to help achieve herd immunity.

“We cannot afford any more lockdowns lest our economy bleeds to the point of irreversible damage,” Duterte said in comments made during his final State of the Nation address before he steps down next year.

—Reporting by Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales Editing by Ed Davies