Philippines Bans Non-Essential Travel Into and Out of Capital

Philippine authorities limited travel into and out of the capital and its surrounding regions for about two weeks as coronavirus cases reached records.

Metropolitan Manila and adjacent provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal will be placed in a “bubble” from March 22 to April 4, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a live-streamed briefing on Sunday. Travel within the bubble will be unimpeded, he said.

Religious gatherings and indoor dining in restaurants are prohibited, while attendance at weddings, baptism and funeral services will be limited within the bubble, Roque said. A night-time curfew will be implemented, he said.

The order comes as the nation posted its second-highest daily coronavirus tally on Sunday, a day after hitting a record number of daily cases. Essential workers including those in health and humanitarian sectors and some government frontliners, as well as persons seeking medical treatment and going to the airport for overseas travel, are exempted from the ban, Roque said.

Source: Bloomberg.com