More LGUs impose own quarantine

MANILA, Philippines — Several provinces and key cities outside Metro Manila have set up their own defenses against the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by declaring community quarantine.

Placed under community quarantine were Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Cotabato City, Cebu City, Pangasinan, Abra, San Jose del Monte in Bulacan, Baguio City, La Union and Ilocos Sur. Davao de Oro is also under a state of calamity. Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental, meanwhile, have closed their borders.

Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) has deployed almost a thousand personnel to conduct checkpoints in the different borders all over Western Visayas, as the region moved to maintain its COVID-19-free status.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, PRO-6 spokesperson, said that 932 personnel were tasked to man around 208 border checkpoints in the region.