CITY OF MALOLOS –– The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) on Tuesday (March 17) was closed to motorists driving to and from Metro Manila.
Only delivery trucks carrying basic goods, vehicles of frontline workers, and emergency vehicles have been allowed through checkpoints, which were put up at the south-bound entrances of the Balintawak Toll Plaza, Ciudad de Victoria, Marilao Southbound, Mindanao Toll Plaza, and Smart Connect, according to NLEX Corp.
Except for the two central barriers, the Bocaue toll plaza was also closed to traffic, after President Duterte placed Luzon under enhanced community quarantine to help prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), said Bocaue police chief Colonel Rizalino Andaya.
The northbound lane of Balintawak and Mindanao Avenue, where checkpoints were installed, were also closed to traffic.
Some restaurants and establishments in this capital city have closed because of the quarantine, and only a few public utility vehicles served their routes as residents flocked to public markets and groceries.
Fernando De la Cruz, a university professor from Bulakan town, complained that alcohol and face masks were no longer available there./lzb