The Philippines will lift most Covid-19 restrictions in the capital Manila next month, President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman said, after a sharp drop in infections and a rising number of people vaccinated.

It comes weeks after the country reopened its borders to foreign tourists for the first time in two years and as campaigning for the May 9 national elections cranks up, AFP reports.

Businesses, government agencies and public transport will be allowed to operate at full capacity when the metropolis of 13 million people is placed on the lowest alert level on March 1, said Duterte spokesman Karlo Nograles, which he previously described as the “new normal”.