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Philippines' Duterte announces 'lockdown' of Manila to fight coronavirus

Philippines' Duterte announces 'lockdown' of Manila to fight coronavirus

Rodrigo Duterte

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.

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Also see: Coronavirus infects 100,000-plus worldwide, 21 cases found on ship off San Francisco

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