The Philippines government has placed the capital Manila and 38 other areas under the country’s least restrictive COVID-19 alert level, following a decline in the number of infections, a government official said on Monday. Karlo Nograles, the acting spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte, said in a statement that alert level 1 will be in force for at least two weeks, from March 1 to March 15. Public transportation and business establishments are now allowed to operate at full capacity under alert level 1, without being required to set up isolation facilities within the workplace. “Isolation can be discontinued upon completion of the recommended isolation period, provided that they do not have fever for at least 24 hours without the use of any antipyretic medications, and shall have improvement of respiratory signs and symptoms,” Nograles said in a separate statement. People will still need to wear masks in public, except when …