President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday scrapped a pilot run of face-to-face classes scheduled in January as the world guarded against a new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Duterte called a special cabinet meeting to discuss preparedness measures against the new virus strain that was first reported in the UK, but has since been confirmed in other countries, including Singapore and Sabah, administered by Malaysia, that is close to the Philippines' southwestern tip.
Education Sec. Leonor Briones, in a text message read during the meeting by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, said the Department of Education would comply with the President's directive.
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Inbound flights from the UK are suspended from 12:01 a.m. of Dec. 24 to Dec. 31.
The new strain is more contagious but does not cause more severe symptoms, said Health Sec. Francisco Duque.
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