Philippines lifts deadline for tourists to leave

The Philippines on Wednesday rescinded its call for foreign travellers to leave the country's main northern island within 72 hours or face being stranded indefinitely because of a coronavirus lockdown. Officials initially said tourists and other foreigners had three days to leave Luzon, where the capital Manila is located, because there would be no further flights after that.

But authorities announced late Tuesday that the deadline had been lifted, and foreigners could leave Luzon anytime during the month-long quarantine period.

However, some travellers still faced problems including the suspension of public mass transport in Luzon, and the cancellation of many international flights.

The Philippines has reported 187 cases of coronavis, and 14 people have died.

While the virus can be deadly, particularly for the elderly and people with other health problems, for most people it causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. Some feel no symptoms at all and the vast majority of people recover.