Tokyo
CNN
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Japan will consider downgrading COVID-19 Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on Friday that this spring in the same category as seasonal influenza.
Kishida said he has instructed health ministry officials to discuss the move and that his administration will also review regulations on face masks and other pandemic measures.
“To carry forward the efforts to ‘live with corona’ and restore Japan to normalcy, we will change various policies and measures in stages,” Kishida said.
While daily COVID-19 cases in Japan have declined in recent weeks, the country is still experiencing about 100,000 new infections a day.
According to Japan’s Ministry of Health, COVID-19 is classified as a Class 2 disease, the same status as tuberculosis and avian influenza. Officials will now discuss reclassifying it into Class 5 – the lowest rank, which also includes seasonal flu.
Japan fully reopened its borders to foreign visitors last October after more than two years of pandemic restrictions, ending one of the world’s strictest border controls.
Influenza — or the common flu — and COVID-19 are both infectious respiratory diseases with similar symptoms, but they are caused by different viruses and require testing to confirm the diagnosis, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Centers for Prevention (CDC) says its website.
There is a risk of death or hospitalization from COVID-19, according to the CDC greatly reduced Due to high levels of vaccination for most people and population immunity from previous infections.
However, the World Health Organization still lists the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic, and has reiterated in its latest update Recommending people to wear a mask after recent contact or close contact with COVID-19, and for “anyone in a crowded, closed, or poorly ventilated area” to do so.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on governments Last week Continuing to share sequencing data of the coronavirus as it continues to be important to detect and track the emergence and spread of new variants.
“It is understandable that countries cannot maintain the same level of testing and sequencing as during the Omicron peak. At the same time, the world cannot close its eyes and hope this virus will go away. It will not,” They said.
The news comes as South Korea announced it would lift its mask mandate for most indoor areas, with the exceptions of public transport and health facilities. The changes will take effect on January 30, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on Friday.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the measure would be lifted after the Lunar New Year holiday, when large numbers of people are expected to travel.
The KDCA said new COVID-19 cases, serious cases and related deaths are declining and the country’s medical response capacity remains stable.
The agency strongly advised people to wear a mask if they have symptoms related to COVID-19, belong to a high-risk group, have been in contact with a positive case recently, or are in a crowded place are on
The prime minister said the easing of the mandate could result in a temporary increase in new cases and urged health officials to remain vigilant.
South Korea has lifted most of its pandemic restrictions in May 2022 and eased its outdoor mask mandate. It still requires people testing positive to undergo seven days of home isolation.
The country has also restricted travel from mainland China and implemented testing requirements for people arriving from China, Hong Kong and Macau after Beijing eased Covid restrictions.