National Museum closes to the public ‘until further notice’ over coronavirus fears

MANILA, Philippines – The National Museum of the Philippines has closed its doors to the public starting Friday, March 13, as the coronavirus concern in the country intensifies.

In a statement on Instagram, the National Museum said it will be closed “until further notice,” with the closure covering all museums within its network in and outside of Manila.

These include the National Art Gallery, the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of the Filipino People, and the National Planetarium, all located within Manila, as well as its branch museums and archaeological sites such as those in Bohol, Palawan, Butuan, Marinduque, and Jolo.

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A post shared by National Museum PH (@natmuseumph) on Mar 12, 2020 at 8:19am PDT

All previously announced events and activities have also been postponed.

The National Museum’s announcement comes a day after President Rodrigo Duterte announced that Metro Manila will be placed on lockdown on March 15, following the World Health Organization’s classification of the novel coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic.

As of Friday, the Department of Health has probed at least 849 patients for the novel coronavirus. This figure includes 52 confirmed cases and 5 deaths. – Rappler.com