page_title: COVID-19 pandemic in Metro Manila
section_title: Manila
hierarchical_section_title: COVID-19 pandemic in Metro Manila / Local response / Manila
caption_attribution_description: English: Modular tents set up by Manila City Government at the Delpan Covered Court as temporary shelters for street dwellers during the Luzon enhanced community quarantine.
context_page_description: The COVID-19 pandemic in Metro Manila is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus reached Metro Manila on January 30, 2020, when the first case of COVID-19 in the Philippines was confirmed in Manila. Metro Manila is the worst affected region in the Philippines, where most cases are recorded and is considered as the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. A state of calamity and community quarantine have been in place in the region since March 15.
  After a month of no new cases in the country, the first case of someone without travel history abroad was confirmed on March 5, a 62-year-old male who frequented a Muslim prayer hall in San Juan, Metro Manila, raising suspicions that a community transmission of COVID-19 is already underway in the Philippines. The man's wife was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on March 7, which was also the first local transmission to be confirmed.
  As of August 30, 2020, there have been 122,174 confirmed cases of the disease in Metro Manila. Out of these cases, 89,531 have already recovered, while 1,715 died.
context_section_description: Manila Mayor Isko Moreno declared a state of calamity in the city on March 15, following a directive from the Metro Manila Council, after the second and third COVID-19 cases were confirmed.
  On March 16, the Manila Department of Social Welfare (MDSW) began rescuing street people, pavement dwellers, and other homeless people, as well as people living outside the city who were unable to retreat home following the imposition of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine. They took refuge at the Delpan Sports Complex in Tondo. The city allocated ₱227.5 million ($4.45 million) from the its budget to assist families affected by the quarantine. MDSW Chief Re Fugoso ordered the lockdown of the Manila Boys Town Complex and the Manila Youth Reception Center in Ermita for the protection of the children and teenagers residing there amid the pandemic. On March 18, Mayor Moreno ordered all lodging facilities in Manila to provide free accommodations for front line health workers, such as doctors and nurses, throughout the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine. To financially help the city government employees, Mayor Moreno drafted a resolution ordering the release of their mid-year bonuses. Another resolution appropriating funds and giving cash assistance for the city's job order and contractualized workers was also enacted.
  On March 19, the city deployed 189 electric tricycles to exclusively transport front line health workers to the city's public hospitals. Non-health workers would not be serviced in observance of the moratorium on mass public transportation. Drivers of electric tricycles would receive salaries from the city government. The city also coordinated with the Department of Social Welfare and Development of the national government in sourcing food supplies for the city's families. Mayor Moreno has stressed that the city could only produce between 8,000 and 11,000 food packs, but would not suffice for the city's 350,000 families. On April 5, Isko Moreno signed an ordinance enacting the City Amelioration Crisis Assistance Fund (CACAF), allocating a total budget of ₱591 million ($12 million) for around 568,000 families, and distributing ₱1,000 ($19.73) to each household. A second tranche was given from May 20 to 21 for more than 680,000 families, some of which do not received from the first CACAF distribution.
  On March 23, Mayor Isko Moreno launched an online survey via his Facebook page inquiring Manila residents about their health status in relation to COVID-19 and their recent travel history. PLDT, one of the country's major telecommunications providers, assisted the city government in providing enhanced data connectivity for the online survey service. PLDT also assisted in augmenting the hotline facility at the Manila City Hall.
  On April 3, the Manila City Council approved an ordinance penalizing discriminatory acts directed against coronavirus patients and other patients under evaluation, including discrimination of health workers on the basis of their medical condition. The following day on April 4, Mayor Moreno ordered the temporary closure of the Ospital ng Sampaloc after five hospital staff contracted the virus. On April 6, Mayor Moreno announced that he and several other government officials in the city would donate their salaries to the Philippine General Hospital to increase its financial capability amid the pandemic.
  The Manila government partnered with the Department of Agriculture to launch the Kadiwa Rolling Store project, a mobile farmers' market that sells fresh products to residents amid the closure of retail establishments due to the enhanced community quarantine. The first unit was deployed to Santa Ana on April 6.
  On April 13, the City of Manila announced that it is now capable of conducting localized mass targeted testing for COVID-19. The six city-owned district hospitals and the Delpan Quarantine Facility each can take up to 232 tests a day, which is capable of producing up to 1,624 swab tests weekly. On the same day, the city placed Barangay 20 in Tondo on total lockdown for 24 hours, because its
caption: A gymnasium in Manila converted into a temporary homeless shelter during the region-wide community quarantine.
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