Philippine villagers face twin perils of volcano and Covid-19

A plume of steam and ash is seen from Taal Volcano, Batangas province (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology/AP)

Thousands of people are being evacuated from villages around a rumbling volcano near the Philippine capital as officials try to ensure emergency shelters will not turn into epicentres of Covid-19 infection.

The alert was raised to three on a five-level scale after the Taal Volcano near Manila blasted a dark grey plume into the sky on Thursday.