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A worker wearing PPE outside a makeshift testing centre in Hong Kong as the city is braced for a lockdown. Photo: Reuters

This Week in Asia Health & Environment

As Hong Kong battles Omicron, a look at Asia’s lockdowns: from Singapore’s ‘circuit breaker’ to Malaysia’s MCO and the Philippines’ ECQ

Malaysia enacted a ‘movement control order’ to stop the virus from spreading in March 2020, while Singapore imposed a ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown in April 2020 after cases surged in its migrant worker community
The Philippines had one of the longest and strictest lockdowns over two years, while India’s economic shutdown prompted an exodus of migrant workers returning to their hometowns

Coronavirus pandemic

SCMP’s Asia desk

Published: 7:00pm, 2 Mar 2022

Why you can trust SCMP

Hong Kong residents are clearing out supermarkets and pharmacies, and streets are deserted amid fears of a lockdown by the authorities to carry out mandatory Covid-19 testing later this month.

While the city managed to keep cases low due to restrictions including social distancing and masking, spiralling infections from an Omicron outbreak has left the health system struggling. Health authorities confirmed a record 55,000 new infections on Wednesday, while the death toll stood at 1,182.

As Hong Kong mulls stay-at-home restrictions, here’s a look at what the lockdowns in other places in Asia looked as they battled infections from the Delta and Omicron waves.

03:31

Bodies pile up at hospitals and mortuaries as Hong Kong records 34,466 new Covid-19 cases

Singapore

The city state went into a lockdown on April 7, 2020. Billed by the government as a “circuit breaker”, it was meant to last four weeks until 4 May. But with infections still mounting, the government extended the lockdown for another four weeks until June 1, 2020.

The lockdown was called in response to infections sweeping through Singapore’s low-wage migrant population, 230,000 of whom lived in crowded dormitories, and also rising infections within the general population because of returning citizens carrying the virus back with them. Infections had grown from just 102 cases as of February 29 to 1,000 by April 1.

During the lockdown, people had to work from home, they weren’t allowed to visit other households and could only go out for groceries or outdoor exercise. There was no dining in, gyms, malls, hair salons and cinemas were closed and life came to a standstill for the usually densely packed city. Only essential services like food delivery, newspapers and health care were allowed to operate as usual.

01:53

Singapore migrant workers under quarantine as coronavirus hits dormitories

The lockdown did help suppress infections in the general population. By the end of the eight weeks, there were fewer than 10 of those infections a day compared to almost 50 cases a day at the start of the lockdown. Dormitory infections remained high and those workers continued to have their movements restricted even after the lockdown ended.

Singapore also took pains to exit the circuit breaker slowly in three phases. First allowing schools and some services like hairdressing to resume and letting households receive two visitors, then allowing people to gather in fives and to dine-in, with groups of eight allowed in the last phase.

Malaysia

02:01

Malaysia’s Covid-19 case toll tops 1 million as nation sees record day of infections

Malaysia imposed a lockdown on its population on March 18, 2020, two months after recording its first coronavirus cases on January 25 – three Chinese nationals who were in the country for a visit. Known locally as the Movement Control Order (MCO), the lockdown measures aimed to limit the movement of Malaysia’s 32 million people.

At the height of the pandemic, everyone was required to remain at home except for a single “head of the family” who was allowed to go out to buy basic necessities from markets, grocery stores, and restaurants from morning until 8pm, when even essential businesses needed to shut down.

With the virus not widely understood in early 2020, the government even banned solo recreational activities such as jogging, much to the chagrin of folks overwhelmed by cabin fever. These were eventually relaxed as the risk of infection was more understood.

A cyclist rides along a deserted street near the Petronas Twin Towers during Malaysia’s Movement Control Order on August 11, 2021. File photo: Bloomberg

The public was also limited to travelling within their own district, with police and military setting up blockades on major roads into other districts and states. Initially mandated nationwide, the lockdown order was eventually shifted to a state-by-state basis as some places were more severely affected than others.

While the government initially handed those who violated lockdown rules a penalty of up to 1,000 ringgit (US$238), it later went one further and arrested and remanded them in jail, a move that was panned as those thrown in prison risked catching Covid-19 in the cramped lock-up facilities.

The government was also criticised for its treatment of vulnerable migrant workers, including undocumented people, who had to go without pay and ran out of food during the economic shutdown.

Lockdown measures were gradually lifted from June last year as Malaysia transitioned into its National Recovery Plan, with interstate travel being the last restriction to be eased. All in all, the MCO lasted from March 2020 until June 2021, from which 75 days of total nationwide lockdown instated.

Philippines

02:19

‘Shoot them dead’: Philippine President Duterte warns coronavirus lockdown violators

With almost two years of on-and-off lockdown restrictions, the Philippines had one of the world’s longest and strictest restrictions to curb the spread of the virus among its 108 million people.

Stay-at-home orders, locally known as enhanced community quarantines (ECQ), were strongly enforced, including by armoured trucks, as officials struggled to vaccinate people to improve the population’s health defences.

Localised lockdowns for the unvaccinated have continued as Omicron flares in the public. Some of its rules had been criticised as confusing and disorganised, including a “no vax no ride” scheme banning unvaccinated from public transport, which critics described as “draconian”.

In November, thousands of Filipino children returned to school for the first time in 20 months, in a phased reopening after the pandemic disrupted the education of 27 million students.

Last month, the country reopened to vaccinated travellers to boost a tourism sector decimated by the pandemic.

Australia

02:48

Welcome back! Australia reopens its borders to fully vaccinated travellers after two years

In October last year, Melbourne residents flocked to the city’s pubs, restaurants and hair salons after spending weeks indoors in the world’s most locked-down city.

Australia’s second-largest city endured more than 260 days, or nearly nine months, of restrictions during six separate lockdowns from March 2020, representing the longest cumulative lockdown for any city in the world.

Under the lockdown, a curfew was imposed from 9pm to 5am every night. People had very limited reasons to leave their home, and there was increased police presence across metropolitan Melbourne to ensure public health measures are enforced. Authorised workers were required to carry permits when working, and when travelling for work. The permits needed to be certified by an employer.

Also in October, people in Australia’s largest state Sydney celebrated “freedom day” after almost four months of lockdown to drive down infections from a Delta outbreak.

The lockdown was eased after the state hit a targeted 70 per cent of the eligible population being fully vaccinated.

India

04:15

Hong Kong-based Indians pitch in to help fight Covid-19 outbreak back home

India locked down its 1.3 billion people when it battled three major waves of infections, including a deadly Delta outbreak which saw some 400,000 daily cases recorded at the peak in April 2021.

In the first wave, a nationwide lockdown was called in March 2020, with the peak coming in mid-September with 90,000 cases a day. The second wave a year later was more devastating, causing a severe shortage of hospital beds, oxygen cylinders and other medical supplies in parts of the country. The crisis led some people to post pleas on social media for access to medical supplies, while mass burials were performed across the country.

Maharashtra, one of India’s largest states and home to the financial capital of Mumbai, was among the epicentres of the pandemic. Other places including Bangalore, Delhi, Haryana, Orissa state, Rajasthan state, and Uttar Pradesh also saw soaring cases, and carried out various lockdowns lasting between seven and 62 days.

A pedestrian wearing a face mask crosses an empty road during a lockdown imposed in Mumbai, on June 1, 2020. File photo: Bloomberg

During the lockdowns, people were restricted from stepping out of their homes. All transport services, including road, air and rail, were suspended, with exceptions for transport of essential goods, fire, police and emergency services. These forced millions of migrant workers – whose jobs dried up as the economy stalled – to make perilous journeys on foot back to their hometowns in rural India.

Schools, industrial establishments and hospitality services were also suspended. Services such as food shops, banks and ATMs, petrol pumps, other essentials and their manufacturing were exempted. The Home Ministry stated that anyone who failed to follow the restrictions could face a year in jail.

Vietnam

13:44

Life under lockdown: tourist street in Vietnam hit hard by shutdown to stop Covid-19

Vietnam was lauded by international health experts for implementing one of the world’s best-organised epidemic control measures amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

On March 31, 2020, the government ordered a nationwide lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus, which succeeded in stamping out the virus.

But cases surged again the following year and in August 2021, and lockdowns were launched to prohibit people from going out, except to shop for basic necessities or go to work at businesses allowed to remain operational. Community support groups had to secure permits from local authorities to deliver help to vulnerable groups.

The cities of Da Nang, Hai Doung, Chi Linh City, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang all had lockdowns varying from 14 to 39 days. Troops were deployed to help with the lockdown in Ho Chi Minh City, which was the epicentre of the second wave.

04:22

‘Large-scale lockdown’ expected when Hong Kong launches universal Covid-19 testing, source says

Britain

Britain had numerous lockdowns, on several occasions. Some isolated cities, others stretched country wide. The stay at home orders ranged from three weeks to 112 days.

At various points, Schools and kindergartens were closed. Non-essential shops were closed. People could only leave their homes to buy food, or seek medical attention or supplies. Recreational venues were closed, as were most public places.

New powers were given to police to issue instant fines those who leave their homes without good reason or broke social gathering orders.

France

France imposed three nationwide lockdowns, ranging from 29 to 55 days.

Measures included the closure of non-essential shops, the suspension of school attendance, a ban on domestic travel and a nationwide curfew from 7pm-6am.

On 13 January, the French Senate approves President Macron’s new set of measures that include a vaccine pass to enter public facilitates.

Italy

Italy issued three national lockdowns, and was the first European country to take such a drastic measure during the pandemic.

On February 22, 2020, Italy announced a new decree imposing the quarantine of more than 50,000 people from 11 municipalities in Northern Italy. The quarantine zones are called the Red Zones and the areas in Lombardy and Veneto outside of them are called the Yellow Zones. Penalties for violations range from a €206 fine to three months of imprisonment The Italian military and law enforcement agencies were instructed to secure and implement the lockdown.

Schools were closed in ten municipalities in Lombardy, one in Veneto and one in Emilia Romagna. All public events were cancelled. All religious services were cancelled. Regional train services to the most affected areas were suspended,

People with symptoms were advised to call an emergency number (112), instead of going directly to hospitals, in an effort to limit the disease’s spread.

Reporting by Kok Xinghui, Hadi Azmi, Reuters, Bloomberg, Agence France-Presse