By Richa Noriega
The National Museum of the Philippines will be temporarily closed to the public on Friday, March 13 until further notice amid the rising cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country.
In an advisory on Thursday, the museum announced that all museums within the National Museum network in Manila and nationwide shall be temporarily closed.
It also includes all previously-advertised or programmed public events and activities are postponed until further notice.
“We are sorry for this inconvenience. Thank you for your understanding,” the museum said.
On Thursday, President Duterte announced that Metro Manila will be placed under community quarantine amid the COVID-19 threat.
The President also raised the country's COVID-19 alert level system to Code Red Sublevel 2.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed on Thursday that there are three new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 52.
The number of cases across the globe has risen to more than 124,000 with 4,500 deaths, including a jump in fatalities particularly in Iran and Italy, according to an Agence France Presse tally.
READ MORE: World Health Organization describes coronavirus outbreak as pandemic