MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives is on a four-day lockdown as several staff have been infected with coronavirus.
“We have decided to place the entire Batasan complex on a temporary lockdown from March 18 to 21 as a precautionary measure to protect the health and safety of House members and employees in view of the alarming increase in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila,” Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said Thursday in a statement.
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Velasco said all committee meetings, public hearings and other events which will be held during the time that the House is on lockdown will be done virtually.
House Secretary General Mark Llandro Mendoza said that there are now 33 active COVID-19 cases in the chamber.
Both chambers of Congress are now on lockdown, with Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III earlier restricting access to its premises from March 17 to March 23.
The lockdowns at the Senate and the House come as the country faces a spike in COVID-19 cases, with it reaching a seven-month high last Monday. — Xave Gregorio