Military to ban people’s movement in southern border to curb entry of new COVID-19 strain

December 27, 2020

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the military will ban the movement of people at the southern border of the country to help the government prevent the entry of the new strain of COVID-19 in the Philippines.

During the Cabinet meeting on Saturday, President Rodrigo Duterte asked Lorenzana to harness the assets of the military to control the border of the country following a report that the new COVID-19 strain was found in Sabah.

"What is important in that area is really to control the entry of the people whether or not they already have the virus in their body. What we need to do is to control the borders and maybe General Lorenzana will be able to harness the assets of the Philippine Navy," Duterte said.

"We will also ban the movement of the people from Sabah to Sulu and then we will enforce the blockade of people trying to break the blockade," Lorenzana told Duterte. Robina Asido/DMS