By Teddy Cambosa

The island province of Sulu in the southern tip of the Philippines has ordered travel restrictions in the province starting from January 4 to 17 due to news of the new COVID-19 strain now reached Sabah, Malaysia.

Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan has signed an executive order, ordering that while transport of basic commodities and other types of goods will be unhampered, stringent measures will be met to discourage illegal entry in the island.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, and other concerned agencies shall diligently guard and secure Sulu’s coastlines to deter or apprehend back-door entry by Jungkungs (boats) and other mode of passenger-carrying sea vessels and charge violators in accordance with existing laws,” the order read.

Meanwhile, the governor ensured that all measures will be met, and encouraged the province residents to refrain from spreading fake news about COVID-19.

“The Sulu Task Force Covid-19 calls on the public not to panic and to heed advisories only from official sources. With our frontline partners, we will intensify our monitoring and utilize all material and human resources at our disposal to assure our constituents, as we reiterate our call to them to avoid speculations and the spread of fake and harmful mongering,” the governor said in an online statement.

Teddy Cambosa is a graduating BS Biology student and a former campus journalist at Batangas State University. He is also currently writing for MARKETECH APAC, a small APAC-focused marketing news site.