22:48

Metro Manila, home to 12 million people, is preparing for a lockdown that will be imposed from Sunday in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Philippine police gather amid the coronavirus outbreak in the Philippines. Photograph: Mark R Cristino/EPA

All schools will be closed, mass gatherings suspended, and many public sector workers told to stay home, following a spike in cases in the Philippines.

President Rodrigo Duterte has also imposed a ban on domestic land and sea travels to and from Manila, which will begin on 15 March and last 30 days.



The number of cases in the country has risen from 10 on Sunday to 52 by Thursday evening, and there is concern about the virus spreading rapidly through cramped slum areas.

Metro Manila, also known as the National Capital Region, includes 16 cities, including Manila.

On Thursday, Duterte was tested for the virus, though he has not experienced symptoms. Five people in the country have now died after becoming infected.