Coronavirus: Philippines restricts domestic travel to and from NCR

The Philippine government has restricted travel to and from Metro Manila starting on March 15 as part of the community quarantine to control the spread of COVID-19.

“Land, domestic air, and domestic sea travel to and from Metro Manila shall be suspended after beginning March 15, 2020 and to end on April 14, 2020, alas dose subject to the daily review of the Inter-Agency Task Force.”

This was announced by President Rodrigo Duterte in an evening address on Thursday, March 12, after declaring that the alert level for the coronavirus has been raised to its maximum level of Code Red Sublevel 2, marking the first massive lockdown in the country in recent history.

The lockdown covers 16 cities and one municipality of Metro Manila, as prescribed by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the coronavirus outbreak, which is composed of key Duterte Cabinet officials.

“The recommendation of the Department of Health Technical Advisory Group on imposing Stringent Social Distancing Measures in the National Capital Region are adopted for a period of 30 days,” the IATF’s Resolution No. 11 reads.

“The crisis is very, very clear,” Duterte said, following a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

Duterte urged the people not to panic, follow the orders of government and practice social distancing.

“Do not kill yourself with worry. Government is doing everything to make it at least controllable,” he said.

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