TOKYO: Japan will consider revising COVID-19 measures as early as this spring, downgrading the disease to a less serious category and relaxing guidance that people wear masks in public indoor places, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday (Jan 20).
Speaking to media after meeting with relevant ministers, Kishida said he had instructed them to consider the specific requirements for a reclassification that would put COVID-19 in the same category as seasonal flu.
“As we try to restore the lifestyles of a normal Japan, we would like to shift various measures step by step,” Kishida told reporters.
A classification downgrade to disease category five from the current category two would end an isolation requirement for infected people and their close contacts.
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