Coronavirus: Duterte announces lockdown of entire Metro Manila, may call on China for help
- Land as well as domestic air and sea travel to and from the region will be suspended from March 15 to April 14, while mass gatherings have been banned
- The president says he received a letter from President Xi Jinping offering assistance, and might call on Beijing should the situation deteriorate
Land, domestic air, and domestic sea travel to and from the National Capital Region will be suspended from Sunday to April 14, while mass gatherings have also been banned, according to local media.
In a speech on Thursday night, Duterte also said Chinese President Xi Jinping had written a letter to him to offer assistance.
“If things deteriorate, I may have to call on China to help,” he said. “Maybe we will need your help, President Xi.”
Duterte met Huang Xilian, China’s ambassador to the Philippines, on Wednesday night to discuss the countries’ economic cooperation as well as the challenges caused by the novel coronavirus.
Dr Anthony Leachon, a health reform advocate and former president of the Philippine College of Physicians, had earlier told the South China Morning Post the only way to contain the virus was a lockdown of Metro Manila and its 12.8 million people.
