Philippines’ Duterte announces ‘lockdown’ of Manila to fight coronavirus

MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday announced a halt on domestic land, sea and air travel to and from Manila, as well as community quarantine measures, in what he called a “lockdown” of the capital to arrest the spread of coronavirus.

Duterte approved a resolution to allow a raft of containment measures including bans on mass gatherings, a month of school closures and quarantining in communities where cases are detected, as well as stopping domestic travel in and out of Manila.

It follows confirmation on Saturday of the Philippines’ first domestic transmission of the virus, which has killed two people there and infected 53.

(Reporting by Martin Petty and Karen Lema; Editing by Kevin Liffey)