Japan Decides Set Of Coronavirus Measures


Japan decides set of coronavirus measures

Japan's government says it will aim to secure enough coronavirus vaccine for all citizens in the country by the first half of next year.

A government taskforce decided on a set of measures to deal with the outbreak on Friday, with Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and Cabinet ministers in attendance.

Participants agreed that the government should seek contracts for domestic or foreign-sourced vaccines, as long as they are judged safe and effective.

With the prospect of coronavirus infections spreading alongside the flu in winter, medical resources are to be beefed up and testing capacity bolstered to an average of about 200,000 cases per day.

Taskforce members also decided to flexibly review the current practice under the infectious diseases control law of advising all infected people to be hospitalized.

Given the large number of carriers with mild or no symptoms, revisions to a government ordinance and other changes are to be studied to ease the burden on public health centers and medical institutions.

The taskforce also decided to extend, until the year-end, higher wage subsidies to businesses that retain workers.

Entry restrictions are to be partially eased from September to allow reentry by foreign nationals with residency permits if they undergo PCR tests.

Abe asked officials to cooperate with businesses and local governments to carry out the agreed measures, so that social and economic activity can continue during efforts to stop spreading of infections.