PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

MANILA, the capital and nearby cities will remain under Alert Level 1 until April 15, according to the presidential palace. 

More than 60 areas on the main Luzon island and more than 80 areas in central Philippines would also be placed under the lowest coronavirus alert, palace spokesman Jose Martin M. Andanar said in a statement on Thursday.  

Almost 50 areas in southern Philippines would be placed under the first alert level, he added. 

Daily coronavirus infections in the Philippines were among the lowest among southeast Asian nations, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said on Tuesday night, citing figures from Our World in Data. 

The country, which remains at minimal risk from the coronavirus, posted a daily average of 389 infections on March 21 to 27, 24% lower than a week earlier. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza