Tokyo
CNN
—
Japan will consider downgrading Covid-19 the same type as seasonal flu this spring, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Friday.
Kishida said he has instructed Health Ministry officials to discuss the move and that his administration will also review regulations on masks and other anti-pandemic measures.
“In order to further promote ‘co-living with Corona’ efforts and restore Japan to normalcy, we will be transitioning the various policies and measures to date in phases,” Kishida said. speak.
While daily Covid-19 cases in Japan have decreased in recent weeks, the country still faces about 100,000 new infections a day.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Covid-19 is classified as a type 2 disease, just like tuberculosis and bird flu. Officials will now discuss reclassifying it to Category 5 – the lowest grade, which 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 common flu – and Covid-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses with similar symptoms, but they are caused by different viruses and require testing to confirm the diagnosis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on its website.
According to the CDC, the risk of death or hospitalization from Covid-19 is significantly reduced for most people due to high levels of vaccination and population immunity to previous infections.
However, the World Health Organization still lists the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic and reiterated it in its report. Latest updates a recommendation for everyone to wear a mask after recent or close contact with Covid-19 and for “anyone in a crowded, enclosed or poorly ventilated space” to do the same.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urges governments last week to continue sharing coronavirus sequencing data, as it is 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 they had during the peak of Omicron. At the same time, the world cannot close its eyes in hope that this virus will disappear. It won’t,” he said.
The news comes as South Korea announced it will lift the requirement to wear face masks for most areas of the home, with the exception of public transport and medical facilities. The changes will take effect on January 30, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on Friday.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KDCA) said the measure would be lifted after the Lunar New Year holiday, when a large number of people are expected to travel.
The KDCA added that new Covid-19 cases, severe cases and related deaths are all decreasing and the country’s health response capacity remains stable.
The agency has specifically recommended that people wear masks if they have symptoms related to Covid-19, are in a high-risk group, have recently been in contact with a positive case, or are in an crowded space.
The Prime Minister said the easing of duties could lead to a temporary increase in new cases and urged health authorities to remain vigilant.
South Korea removed most of its pandemic restrictions and eased the requirement to wear face masks outdoors in May 2022. The country still requires people who test positive to undergo seven days of quarantine. at home.
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.
