Courtesy of Karla Gutierrez

MANILA - The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Malate, Manila on Friday was packed to the gills with locally stranded individuals (LSIs), who are scheduled to return to their home provinces during the weekend.

Videos taken by Karla Gutierrez showed a jam-packed stadium, with physical distancing of at least 1 meter being ignored.

Journalists who sought to check the conditions inside the facility were barred from going inside the stadium Friday night.

More than 8,000 stranded individuals are set to return to their respective localities on July 25 and 26 after being stuck in Metro Manila due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

Courtesy of Karla Gutierrez

For the second phase of the government's "Hatid Tulong" program, the stranded individuals will board 120 buses and 5 sea vessels.

“Gaya ng first batch ng Hatid Tulong noong unang linggo ng July, we will be ensuring that our LSIs will be comfortable and safe in the transportation modes that the government has prepared for them,” Interior Secretary Eduardo Año earlier said in a statement.