THE city of Manila will enforce a nine-hour curfew from 8 p.m. in line with a metro-wide lockdown ordered by President Rodrigo R. Duterte last week. The lockdown has since been expanded to the entire island of Luzon.
Manila passed an ordinance barring people from streets, commercial establishments, recreation centers, malls and other areas outside their homes as part of quarantine measures.
People buying food and other essential goods and those going to work will be allowed.
“The movement of cargoes within the city of Manila shall be unhampered,” according to an e-mailed copy of the ordinance.
Residents who remain outside will be accosted to their homes. Those who refuse will be arrested.
If the offender is homeless, abandoned, neglected or has no known family member, he will be brought to the city’s Department of Social Welfare within 24 hours.
Violators will be fined P5,000 or jailed for a month.
Makati City also announce it would hold a hearing on March 19 for a similar curfew.
The Metro Manila Council composed of mayors in the region on Saturday approved an order imposing the nine-hour curfew that started on March 15.
Several cities including Navotas, Quezon, Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Taguig, Pasay, Pasig, Caloocan and Pateros also imposed a curfew.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte placed Metro Manila under a month-long lockdown last week, and expanded it to the entire Luzon island on Monday to stop the virus from spreading. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
