People Shop For Christmas Amid The Spread Of Covid-19

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - DECEMBER 13: A worker wearing a facemask and face shield to protect against COVID-19 cleans tables at a food court inside a mall on December 13, 2020 in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. The COVID-19 pandemic will make 2.7 million more Filipinos poor this year on top of a record slide in the Philippines gross domestic product (GDP), the World Bank said. On their December economic update for the Philippines, the World Bank nonetheless remains optimistic that the economy will recover starting 2021 as quarantine restrictions ease and as COVID-19 vaccines become available. The Philippines so far has confirmed more than 448,000 cases of the coronavirus disease, with more than 8,700 deaths, making it the second-worst hit country by the pandemic in Southeast Asia. The government has banned big gatherings and parties in the Christmas-crazed nation, which usually begins celebrations as early as September and lasts until the end of January. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)