LOS BAÑOS, Laguna—A town in Laguna province named after national hero Jose Rizal shut its borders on Thursday (March 19) to take a step further in President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to impose an enhanced community quarantine over the entire island of Luzon as a measure against COVID-19.
In a video posted on social media, Rizal Mayor Vener Munoz said the lockdown was meant to keep the town free of the virus that causes COVID-19 and which is now spreading quickly elsewhere.
“We will not wait for our town to be infected,” said the mayor. “We need to protect our citizens and families,” he said.
The lockdown meant no passage through the town for people going to two neighboring towns—Nagcarlan and Liliw, also in Laguna.
Munoz said residents should ask relatives to come home immediately if they didn’t want to be locked out.
Even residents who are sick would be allowed in as long as the lockdown has not been in place yet, said the mayor. “No one will take them in except us,” he said.
At this time, no other details about the lockdown were made available by town officials.