"Japan Considers Allowing Asymptomatic COVID-19 Infected Individuals to Go Out"

On the 25th of last month, in downtown Tokyo, Japan [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Japan is considering allowing asymptomatic COVID-19 positive individuals to go out starting from mid-next month.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 27th, the Japanese government plans to permit asymptomatic positive cases to go out for essential purposes such as purchasing daily necessities during self-isolation, provided they strictly follow preventive measures like wearing masks.

Currently, under Japan's quarantine guidelines, COVID-19 positive individuals with symptoms must self-isolate for 10 days, while those without symptoms must isolate for 7 days.

The government is also considering shortening the self-isolation period from 10 to 7 days for symptomatic cases and from 7 to 5 days for asymptomatic cases. This measure is interpreted as a consideration for the many people recovering at home with mild or no symptoms and those living alone who may face difficulties in daily life.

As of the 24th, 1,561,288 people in Japan are self-isolating due to COVID-19 infection. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also tested positive for COVID-19 on the 21st and is currently self-isolating at the Prime Minister's official residence.

Additionally, the Japanese government is reviewing a nationwide uniform implementation plan to limit the obligation of medical institutions to report detailed information on COVID-19 positive patients only to those at risk of severe illness.

Earlier, on the 24th, Prime Minister Kishida stated in an online press conference that the government plans to reconsider the comprehensive tracking of positive cases to reduce the burden on medical institutions. He announced that, based on local government decisions, only patients at risk of severe illness would be required to submit detailed reports, while others would only need to report the number of positive cases. Currently, medical institutions must report detailed information such as name, date of birth, vaccination history, and contact information for all positive cases.

The Yomiuri reported, "Many local governments criticized that 'the government should make the decision,' prompting the government to hasten the nationwide introduction of a new framework under its responsibility."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.