MANILA--Buses that do not adhere to the government-initiated seating protocol during the Metro Manila lockdown will be flagged along EDSA and other major thoroughfares, a traffic agency spokesperson said Sunday.

During Metro Manila's month-long community quarantine, buses, jeepneys and UV express vans will only be allowed to board up to half of their respective vehicles' full capacity.

"In every loading and unloading area, especially in EDSA and major thoroughfares, we will have traffic constables on standby so that we will be able to check city buses that are overloaded," Celine Pialago, spokesperson of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), told ANC.

"This will take time. Makakadagdag ng oras sa traffic," she said, urging drivers "to follow" guidelines to avoid delays.

The restrictions were imposed after health officials said "social distancing" or keeping at least one meter distance between or among persons could help curb the spread of COVID-19.

Passengers staying outside of Metro Manila were advised not to enter the capital region unless they were traveling for work, delivering goods or scheduled for urgent medical procedures to stop the disease from creeping to other parts of the country.

The disease, which originated from Wuhan, China, has killed at least 8 people and infected 103 others in the Philippines, prompting officials to place the country under a state of public health emergency.

The World Health Organization called the COVID-19 a global pandemic after nearly 5,000 people died from the disease, while 110,000 others were infected.