The coronavirus pandemic is complicating Philippine efforts to move hundreds of thousands of people into evacuation centers where social distancing is hard to enforce as a strong typhoon hits through its eastern provinces.
Typhoon Ambo (Vongfong), the first to hit the country this year, intensified after slamming into the eastern Philippines on Thursday afternoon, packing winds of 155km (96 miles) an hour and gusts of up to 255kph (158 miles an hour), the state weather bureau said in a bulletin. (PAG-ASA)
Provincial and city governments, many of which are already strapped for resources due to the outbreak, are limited with logistical and space issues, with an estimated 200,000 people needed to be moved from their homes in coastal and mountainous areas because of fears of flooding and landslides.
The Philippines was bracing for the typhoon while trying to fight the outbreak largely by locking Filipinos in their homes and prohibiting gatherings that can set off infections. Many Filipinos remains positive of the situation.
PAG-ASA warned that "along with large swells, this storm surge may cause potentially life-threatening coastal inundation". | bp
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