MANILA - The Presidential Security Group recommended Friday the “indefinite” suspension of museum tours in Malacañang as the country confirmed its first case of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Acute Respiratory Disease.

All PSG personnel on duty at the Malacañang Complex will also be required to wear face masks as a precautionary measure against the spread of the virus, their commander, Brig. Gen. Jose Niembra said.

“This is a preemptive measure to ensure that the seat of government is secured from this biological threat,” Niembra said.

The recommendation will be submitted to the Palace’s Internal House Affairs Office for approval.

Tours in the Presidential Museum and Library in Malacañang are free but subject to the approval of the PSG.

The PSG recommendation came a day after the Philippines confirmed its first case of the virus—a 38-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, where the pathogen is believed to have originated.