By Nonoy Lacson  ZAMBOANGA CITY – The municipal government of Turtle Island in Tawi-Tawi province has adopted stricter measures to prevent the entry of the deadly novel Coronavirus or 2019-nCov in the municipality due to its proximity to Sandakan in Sabah, Malaysia. Turtle Island municipal Mayor Mohammad Faizal Salam Jamalul said on Monday that he has ordered a total ban on his constituents from going to Sandakan, where they usually go to buy grocery items, due to the nCoV outbreak which has also hit Malaysia. Jamalul said he has totally barred his constituents from visiting Sandakan and other parts of Malaysia to buy their basic necessities like cooking oil, instant noodles, potatoes and groceries. “I don’t want that my constituents to be infected with the virus, the main reason why there is a need to prohibit them from going to Sandakan,” he said. He said the “travel ban” to Sandakan will totally be enforced until after nCoV scare simmers down to ensure that his constituents are safe and none of them will be infected with the virus. Turtle Island is just an hour by watercraft from Sandakan, and is located at the very edge of the Philippines near Malaysia. The island is near the entrance to Sandakan Bay. The 2019-nCov is an acute respiratory decease that was first detected on December 31 last year in Wuhan, China and rapidly spread to 16 other countries across the globe. Jamalul said the World Health Organization (WHO), has reported that over eight thousand people are now infected with the virus, majority of them came from mainland China. It was also reported that over 300 people have died because of the virus, he said. He said he has asked the Philippine Coast Guard and other concerned government agencies stationed in his town to prevent anyone from Turtle Island from visiting Malaysia. READ MORE: China virus death toll surges past 300