The number of coronavirus infections in the Philippines has risen to more than 85,000, surpassing China's total confirmed caseload.
The nation's Health Ministry reported an additional 1874 confirmed cases, bringing the national tally to 85,486, topping China's 84,060.
Sixteen additional deaths were confirmed, bringing the total to 1962.
Despite spiking numbers of infections, the government's inter-agency task force on COVID-19 approved the re-opening of the businesses at 30-per-cent capacity from August 1 in some areas, under a relaxed general community quarantine protocol.
On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte told Congress in an annual state of the nation address that while the administration's response to the outbreak was not perfect, the interventions had prevented up to 3.5 million infections.
The government imposed a lockdown in the country's most populous island of Luzon, including Manila and other high-risk areas, in mid-March in a bid to contain the spread.
On June 1, the government began to ease restrictions, allowing malls, private offices and public transport to resume on a reduced capacity.
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