Tokyo
CNN
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Japan will contemplate downgrading Covid-19 to the identical class as seasonal influenza this spring, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida introduced Friday.
Kishida mentioned he had instructed Well being Ministry officers to debate the transfer and his administration would additionally overview guidelines on face masks and different pandemic measures.
“So as to additional advance the efforts of ‘residing with Corona’ and restore Japan to a state of normalcy, we’ll transition the varied insurance policies and measures to this point in phases,” Kishida mentioned.
Whereas every day Covid-19 circumstances in Japan have declined in latest weeks, the nation nonetheless faces round 100,000 new infections a day.
Covid-19 is categorized as a Class 2 illness, the identical standing as tuberculosis and avian influenza, in line with Japan’s Well being Ministry. Officers will now focus on reclassifying it to Class 5 – the bottom rank, which incorporates seasonal flu.
Japan absolutely reopened its borders to abroad guests final October after greater than two years of pandemic restrictions, ending one of many world’s strictest border controls.
Influenza – or the widespread flu – and Covid-19 are each contagious respiratory sicknesses with simlar signs, however they’re attributable to completely different viruses and require testing to verify a analysis, the US’ Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) says on its web site.
In response to the CDC, the chance of demise or hospitalization from Covid-19 is greatly reduced for most individuals as a consequence of excessive ranges of vaccination and inhabitants immunity from earlier infections.
Nevertheless, the World Well being Group nonetheless lists the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic, and reiterated in its latest update a suggestion for folks to put on masks following latest publicity or shut contact with Covid-19, and for “anybody in a crowded, enclosed, or poorly ventilated area” to do the identical.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus referred to as on governments last week to proceed sharing the sequencing information of the coronavirus, because it remained important to detect and observe the emergence and unfold of recent variants.
“It’s comprehensible that international locations can not keep the identical ranges of testing and sequencing they’d throughout the Omicron peak. On the identical time, the world can not shut its eyes and hope this virus will go away. It received’t,” he mentioned.
The information got here as South Korea introduced it’s going to raise its masks mandate for many indoor areas, with exceptions for public transport and well being amenities. The modifications will take impact on January 30, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo mentioned Friday.
The measure can be lifted after the Lunar New Yr vacation, when a lot of persons are anticipated to journey, the Korea Illness Management and Prevention Company (KDCA) mentioned.
New Covid-19 circumstances, extreme circumstances and associated deaths are all declining and the nation’s medical response capability stays secure, KDCA added.
The company has strongly really useful folks put on masks if they’ve Covid-19 associated signs, belong to a high-risk group, have been involved lately with a constructive case, or are in a crowded area.
The prime minister mentioned the easing of the mandate might end in a brief surge of recent circumstances and urged well being authorities to remain vigilant.
South Korea has scrapped most of its pandemic restrictions and eased its out of doors masks mandate in Could 2022. It nonetheless requires individuals who check constructive to bear seven days of dwelling isolation.
The nation has additionally restricted journey from mainland China and applied testing necessities for folks arriving from China, Hong Kong and Macau following Beijing’s easing of Covid restrictions.