The Philippines has passed the 10,000 mark for new daily coronavirus infections for the first time and put its capital region back on one of its toughest levels of lockdown, to try to tackle a spike in cases that is testing its healthcare capacity, Reuters reported.

Manila and surrounding provinces were put back under enhanced community quarantine, the highest tier in its containment protocols, for the first time since May 2020 to try to quell the surge in cases, despite inroads late last year towards controlling its epidemic.

The country has recorded 10,016 new infections, bringing the overall tally to 731,894, with deaths at 13,186, one of the highest caseloads in Asia.