UpdateMANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the imposition of a “community quarantine” in the entire Metro Manila as the government scrambles to contain the spread of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country. Land, domestic air, and domestic sea travel to and from Metro Manila will be suspended starting March 15, 2020, until April 14. It’s a matter of protecting and defending you from COVID-19,” Duterte said. ADVERTISEMENTMeanwhile, local government units outside Metro Manila are advised to follow the following guidelines in imposing localized community quarantine in their respective jurisdictions:A barangay-wide quarantine when there are at least two COVID-19 cases belonging to different households in the same barangayA municipality/city-wide quarantine when there are at least two COVID-19 cases belonging to different barangays in the same municipality/cityA province-wide quarantine when there are at least two COVID-19 cases belonging to different municipalities, component cities or independent component cities in the same province. The World Health Organization now considers COVID-19 a pandemic.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 12, 2020 13:20 UTC