On the 8th, the position of the new coronavirus under the Infectious Diseases Act was shifted to "Class 5", which is the same as seasonal influenza, etc., and infection control measures were left to the judgment of individuals, and there were measures to almost return to the response before the spread of infection in various places.

On the other hand, many medical institutions and facilities for the elderly continue some of the infection control measures that have been taken so far. We have summarized the movements surrounding the review of infection control measures.

Major convenience store "Almost the same as before the Corona disaster"

Some major convenience stores have significantly revised their infection control measures and returned to almost the same state as before the coronavirus pandemic.

Lawson, a major convenience store company, reviewed its rules for infection control measures in the store from the 8th, such as leaving it to the judgment of the store to decide whether to wear masks, which has been recommended for employees,

and leaving the installation of disinfectant at the entrance of the store and the installation of vinyl curtains in front of the cash register counter to the judgment of the store.

In response to this, at stores in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, employees removed sheets in front of cash registers and hand sanitizer in the morning.


We also removed signs to encourage understanding of infection control measures, such as spacing customers in front of them when standing in line in front of the cash register and
handing change in trays.
In addition, some employees took off their masks to serve customers.

Tomoya Asaba, manager of the Lawson TOC Osaki store, said, "From today, wearing a mask is almost the same as before the coronavirus, except that it is an individual decision.

Even at the airport

At Narita Airport, most infection control measures have been canceled. Narita Airport Company has decided to cancel infection control measures at Narita Airport, except for the installation of disinfectants.

On the 8th, work was carried out to remove the film installed at check-in counters and other places to prevent infection. In addition, the signs on the sticker at the foot to keep a certain distance at the counter will be removed sequentially.

Masaki Tejima, manager of the Narita Airport Company Operation Center, said, "We would like to return to the pre-Corona airport while considering safety and security."

Medical institutions cautious about accepting a wide range of corona patients

On the other hand, there are some facilities where it is difficult to significantly review infection control measures.

Kanagawa Prefecture has newly designated medical institutions that accept a wide range of patients with the new coronavirus as "outpatient medical institutions" without limiting them to family care, and announced them on the prefecture's website from the 8th. On the other hand, there are many medical institutions that are cautious about accepting patients due to infection control issues, and the number of "outpatient medical institutions" in Kanagawa Prefecture is only about half of the medical institutions that treat patients with seasonal influenza.

At the "Shohei Clinic" in Kamakura City, many of the patients who visit the clinic are elderly and there are concerns about infection, so for the time being, we will accept them while taking infection control measures as much as possible,
such as listening to
their symptoms by phone in advance and testing outside the clinic if there is a high possibility that they are infected with the new corona.

"Don't pass it on to other patients"

In principle, the "Medical University Minami 4-jo Internal Medicine Department" in Chuo-ku, Sapporo City, has not accepted patients with the new coronavirus in principle because it is difficult to separate the routes such as elevators from patients who go to the hospital with chronic respiratory diseases, but in response to the government's policy of requiring a wide range of medical institutions to accept patients, it has been decided to sequentially accept patients from the 8th.

As a measure against infection, the clinic asks patients to come to the clinic at staggered times, such as after regular clinic hours,

and conducts examinations and examinations in a "negative pressure room" that thoroughly ventilates
the hospital and prevents indoor air from flowing out.

Dr. Yuji Tanaka, Director of the hospital, said, "Some patients who visit the hospital have underlying respiratory diseases, and there is a high risk of becoming seriously ill if infected with the new coronavirus, so our first priority is to be careful not to pass it on to other patients.

Elderly care facilities Full relaxation of visitation restrictions may be decided in the future

Some facilities for the elderly in Gifu Prefecture relaxed visitation restrictions last month in anticipation of the transition to the "Class 5" of the new coronavirus.

At a special nursing home for the elderly in Ginan Town, visitation was restricted during the state of emergency, and users and their families could only communicate using tablet devices in a separate room in the facility. After that, we repeated relaxations and restrictions, but from last month, we were able to meet once a week in anticipation of the transition to Class 5.

In response to this, on the 2nd of this month, the eldest daughter and eldest son visited Tomiko Ebihara (92), who is entering the facility, and presented her with artificial carnation flowers and clothes before Mother's Day. Kenji Endo (70), the eldest son, said, "I was prepared to see him again, so it was really nice to see him in good health, and I would like to see my grandchildren and great-grandchildren if possible."

On the other hand, this facility has not yet allowed visitation in residents' rooms, and the full relaxation will be decided in consideration of the future situation.

Toyoko Fukao, Deputy Director of the social welfare corporation that operates the facility, said, "We are very pleased that dialogue between users and their families and going out have resumed, but since it is a facility for the elderly, we will continue to thoroughly implement infection prevention measures such as disinfection when entering the room, wearing masks, and washing hands."

Tokyo continues to provide a unified telephone consultation service

Even after the position of the new coronavirus under the Infectious Diseases Act shifted to Class 5, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government opened a dedicated telephone consultation desk, the "New Corona Consultation Center," in order to alleviate anxiety during home treatment.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has established a "fever consultation center" for people who have symptoms and do not have a family doctor, ▽ "Uchisapo Tokyo" for people who are recuperating at home, and a "follow-up center" as consultation desks,
and has
decided to continue to provide support by unifying the contact points.

At the
center, in addition to providing health consultations when you suddenly change your physical condition, guiding you to medical institutions when you have a fever,

and answering questions about wearing masks and vaccinations.

The telephone number is 0120-670-440 24 hours a day, and in addition to Japanese, it supports 12 languages such as English and Chinese.

Governor Koike: "We don't just restore it"

Tokyo Governor Koike told reporters at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office, "I would like to move forward with you, including how we think about our lives with the virus, rather than just restoring it, and I want you to rest assured that we will continue to respond to high-risk people as before."