MANILA, Philippines — The South Luzon Expressway (SLEx), Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR Tollway), Skyway and NAIA Expressway (Naiax) will continue to operate amid the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), SMC Tollways announced Wednesday.
The tollways group issued the statement amid the false news circulating on social media about the supposed closure of the said expressway beginning 12:00 AM, March 18.
SMC Tollways also assured that it is fully cooperating with the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Department of Health, and other key government agencies, and assisting in their various needs in enforcing the community quarantine.
SMC Tollways is a subsidiary of San Miguel Corp.
To date, the Philippines has 187 confirmed cases of COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus that first emerged in Wuhan China in December last year.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday declared a state of calamity due to the viral outbreak, after earlier placing the entire island of Luzon under enhanced community quarantine amid the increasing COVID-19 cases.