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Philippine islands self-isolate after new COVID-19 variant found in Malaysia

Published 12/31/2020, 02:15 PM
Updated 12/31/2020, 02:20 PM
© Reuters

MANILA, Dec 31 (Reuters) - A province of islands in the
southern Philippines will seal itself off for an initial two
weeks from Monday to keep out a new COVID-19 variant found in
nearby Malaysia, its governor said.
Sulu, home to more than 900,000 people, currently has just
two known active cases of the coronavirus, from 242 so far
recorded, of which 12 were deaths.
"This is for securing our shores from the reported COVID-19
strain in Sabah, Malaysia considering we are so near," Sulu
Governor Abdusakur Tan told ANC news channel on Thursday.
A top Malaysian health official last week it had found a new
variant in the country, but had yet to detect the highly
infectious variant that was originally discovered in Britain.
Sulu has requested the national government provide more
vessels and helicopters to monitor its sea borders with Sabah in
Malaysia.
The lockdown will be in place from Jan. 4 to Jan. 17 but
could be extended, Tan said. Residents not currently on the
islands would be denied entry from Monday.
The Philippines has had more than 472,000 infections overall,
among the highest caseloads in Southeast Asia, mostly in the
capital Manila.
Despite strict entry and quarantine requirements on entry
via its international airports, its vast southern sea borders
are notoriously porous, with long established trade and travel
routes between its islands and Sabah.

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