Iran Press/ Asia: Officers armed with rifles blocked off main roads into the city of some 12 million as domestic flights to and from Manila were halted early Sunday for month-long isolation of the capital.
Mass gatherings and school at all levels have also been called off, but delays and exceptions have led public health experts to question how effective President Rodrigo Duterte’s measures will be.
Though the Philippines has detected a fraction of the infections seen in hot spots like China or Italy, its confirmed cases nearly doubled in recent days to 111, with eight deaths.
“People are advised to stay home and not do anything,” Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano told reporters Saturday.
“We were like Italy two months ago. They were arguing whether to impose a lockdown or not,” he said, adding such a situation could not be allowed to happen in the Philippines.
The sealing off of the city is not total, as people going to work will be allowed to enter through checkpoints. Buses and trains will continue to operate inside Manila’s borders.
COVID-19 was first detected in China's Wuhan in late December and has since spread across the world. In late January, the World Health Organisation declared a global health emergency in light of the epidemic
The coronavirus erupted in Wuhan, China, late last year and has since infected more than 111,000 people globally and led to over 3,900 deaths.
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