It has been three years since the first infection with the new coronavirus was confirmed in Japan.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno emphasized that he is working to make socioeconomic activities as close to normal as possible, and indicated that he would continue to review the position under the Infectious Diseases Control Law.
The new coronavirus was first confirmed to be infected in Japan on January 15, three years ago.
At a press conference in the morning, Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno said, "So far, we have focused on scientific knowledge and evidence, and have taken measures based on the infection status and the opinions of experts. Currently, we are trying to balance prevention of the spread of infection and socioeconomic activities. We are working to enable socio-economic activities to be as close to normal as possible," he said.
After that, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's council has just started discussing the status of the new corona under the Infectious Diseases Act from "type 2", which can be subject to strict measures, to "type 5", which is the same as seasonal influenza. We will continue to consider the situation based on the infection situation, scientific knowledge, and discussions by experts."
Regarding the rules for wearing masks, he said, "Based on scientific knowledge, we will constantly review our approach to infection control, and we will also consider the concept of wearing masks. I'm not at the stage to make a statement," he said.