Natural barriers
Gov. Gerardo Noveras said the province’s remoteness helped it remain virus-free. Baler is more than 200 kilometers north of Metro Manila. Long stretches of the Sierra Madre range and the Pacific Ocean serve as natural barriers.

Aurora was locked down 10 days before its foundation festival on Feb. 19. Local tourism was sacrificed as tourists and visitors were banned, Noveras said, adding that a few visitors who decided to spend the lockdown in the province were allowed to stay.

But he said he could not guarantee that Aurora would remain safe from COVID-19 to the end. Some residents had been caught spiriting relatives in vehicles,

Aurora is the only province in Central Luzon that has remained free of COVID-19.