Authorities urge evacuation of tens of thousands of people while avoiding overcrowding in shelters that could spread the coronavirus
This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy.A strong typhoon roared toward the eastern Philippines on Thursday as authorities work to evacuate tens of thousands of people while avoiding overcrowding in shelters that could spread the coronavirus.
The Philippines was bracing for the typhoon while trying to fight COVID-19 outbreaks largely by locking Filipinos in their homes and prohibiting gatherings that can set off infections. More than 11,600 infections, including 772 deaths, have been reported in the country.Typhoon Vongfong was last spotted 230 kilometres off Northern Samar province with maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 185 kph.
Far-flung Jipapad is prone to landslides and flooding. The town in Eastern Samar province is surrounded by mountains and planked by two rivers that often swell in storms. The only evacuation centres for its 8,000 villagers are a gymnasium and the town hall where residents could be sheltered from the typhoon. Ver, who also is the town’s only doctor, said he has secured enough face masks to protect his villagers from the virus in the town hall when the typhoon hits.
Jipapad and the whole of Eastern Samar, a province of half a million people, fortunately remain free of coronavirus infections unlike neighbouring regions, provincial Gov. Ben Evardone said. All emergency shelters have been turned into quarantine facilities with medical equipment in case of outbreaks but may have to be rearranged back into evacuation centres if large numbers of people need shelter, Evardone told The AP.Northern Samar provincial Gov.
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