BASILIO SEPE | PHOTOGRAPHY

A Year Under Lockdown

Text and photos by Basilio Sepe

March 15, 2021 marked one year of one of the longest lockdowns in the world to help fight the spread of coronavirus. The lockdown left millions jobless and a plunging economy as the Philippines grappled with a renewed spike in COVID-19 infections.

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A man walks on a pedestrian bridge along a bridge construction site in Manila, Philippines. March 5, 2020.

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Policemen stand guard at a checkpoint after being deployed as part of the government’s preventive measure against the spread of coronavirus. March 15, 2020.

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Policemen patrol a checkpoint set up as part of the government’s preventive measure on the spread of coronavirus in the outskirts of Manila. March 16, 2020.

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A man rides his bicycle along a carless bridge during the enhanced community quarantine in Manila, Philippines. March 17, 2020.

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Firemen use hoses to disinfect a street to help curb the spread of COVID-19 during the coronavirus lockdown in Manila, Philippines. March 28, 2020.

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Lights are seen from apartments as residents stay in their homes at a condominium during the coronavirus lockdown in Quezon City, Philippines. March 29, 2020.

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Policemen wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) stop and inspect entering vehicles at a checkpoint during a lockdown in Manila. April 15, 2020.

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Policemen check that enough social distance is maintained to slow the spread of the coronavirus during a lockdown in Manila, Philippines. April 15, 2020.

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Policemen stop and inspect motorists along a highway during the COVID-19 lockdown in Manila, Philippines. April 15, 2020.

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A member of the Philippine Coast Guard patrols the entrance of Manila's International Airport during a coronavirus lockdown. May 13, 2020.

As the country goes into its second year of community quarantines, local governments have reimposed curfews and placed back several villages under strict lockdowns as coronavirus infections surged in the past weeks with daily cases of more than 4,000.

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Filipinos undergo rapid tests through a government's transportation assistance program at a sports stadium in Manila, Philippines. July 29, 2020.

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Passengers wearing face masks and shields disembark from an airplane upon their arrival at Manila's International Airport. February 9, 2021.

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Healthcare workers called for a free, safer, and effective COVID-19 vaccine during a protest outside the Philippine General Hospital in Manila, Philippines.

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A health worker prepares to inject a dose of the Sinovac vaccine during a vaccination drive in San Juan City, Metro Manila, Philippines. March 6, 2021.

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A health worker receives a dose of vaccine from China's Sinovac during a vaccination drive in San Juan City, Metro Manila, Philippines. March 6, 2021.

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A worker fumigates inside a village as the Philippine capital marks a year under a community quarantine to help fight the spread of coronavirus. March 15, 2021.

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A woman walks past 'Full Capacity For COVID-19 Cases' sign in front of a hospital in Manila, Philippines. March 15, 2021.

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Flight attendant workers wearing protective masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 arrive at Manila's International Airport. March 17, 2021.

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Policemen wearing protective masks patrol along a street inside a village under lockdown during a community quarantine in Manila, Philippines. March 17, 2021.

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People buy food at a small restaurant beside an empty street during a COVID-19 lockdown in Manila, Philippines. March 17, 2021.

Despite the imposed restrictions, the Philippines continues to suffer from rising coronavirus infections with over 630,000 cases, the second-highest in Southeast Asia. The country, in addition to its soaring case numbers, was also the last in the region to start an inoculation program against the virus.

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