YEREVAN, APRIL 2, ARMENPRESS. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced that those who will violate the coronavirus lockdown measures could be shot for causing trouble, Reuters reports.

The President said abuse of medical workers was a serious crime that would not be tolerated.

In a televised address, Duterte said it was vital everyone cooperates and follows home quarantine measures, as authorities try to slow the contagion and spare the country’s fragile health system from being overwhelmed.

“It is getting worse. So once again I’m telling you the seriousness of the problem and that you must listen,” Duterte said, adding: “My orders to the police and military ... if there is trouble and there’s an occasion that they fight back and your lives are in danger, shoot them dead.”

The Philippines has reported over 2,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 100 deaths.

In late December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, central China. WHO declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus a global pandemic and named the virus COVID-19. Cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in more than 200 countries.