Virus lockdowns cut work hours of 195 million worldwide: ILO

MANILA -- Global lockdowns to stop the COVID-19 pandemic shaved 6.7 percent off working hours of 195 million people, some of whom could lose their jobs, the International Labor Organization said Tuesday.

"Their working hours are lost and some of them, some of the effect will indeed occur in job losses but we will also see many workers who would like to work more but cannot work in the current situation and we will also see income losses and this affects all countries worldwide and the Philippines as well," said ILO economist Christian Viegelahn.

Monetary and fiscal stimulus, support for enterprises, workers' protection and social dialogue can help cushion the blow of the pandemic, Viegelahn said. 

Coronavirus responses should focus on the vulnerable and should "leave no one behind," he said.

There are 1,920,618 total confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide as of April 13, according to the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.