Japan to cut quarantine days for COVID close contacts to 7 from 10

Always several steps behind but good decision.

the decision was made in light of "expert opinions and new scientific evidence,"

Finally they listen to science? Well it's because Kishida were pressed to explain his decision during parliamentary hearing session.

https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news_society/articles/000242774.html

that virus is so damned tricky.... keeps mutating its 'best before' date.....

Japan is like light years behind other advanced countries with respect to COVID decisions. Maybe it's time to stop relying on the mindo that Abe was flaunting so much.

A truck with a public awareness notice

In this day and age with a worldwide network of computers used for virtual meetings and entertainment, is this the best media for delivering such messages?

I would put this beside fax machines and hankos. A waste of taxpayer money and maybe appropriate in some post-apocalyptic dystopia with a mass breakdown in communications.

I’ve noticed a pattern with Japan. They will always leave changes to months (or years) after the rest of the world to make it look like it was their decision.

Good, we are moving in the right direction.

Good, they are following the science, with a short time lag, as usual in Japan. The change for those on quarantine after entering Japan is great news, hopefully we can do away with the forced hotel stays and use public transport.

Japan is like light years behind other advanced countries with respect to COVID decisions.

Not only with respect to COVID decisions.

I’ve noticed a pattern with Japan. They will always leave changes to months (or years) after the rest of the world to make it look like it was their decision.

EXACTLY!! They have this "the world will not tell us what to do" mentality and then they quietly watch and take notes. Very silly and childish.

I imagine your mind would be mush after 7 days anyway.

I don’t think the delays in following science are intentional to keep their pride, I think it just takes time to translate, print and fax all the research to the grandpas who take the decisions.

I’ll be flying back to the UK tomorrow where there is no need for a PCR test, before or on arrival.

There is no need to quarantine!

Japan is stuck in the days of Delta not Omicron…

According to the news last night the reason for this was from a request from business leaders because hard to keep businesses running with staff shortages. The lead story was about an imminent collapse of garbage collection due to staff shortages. Simply too many people isolating many with no symptoms and not even tested, just close contacts. Whilst late in the game to make these changes already widespread abroad, business needs hurried them along. Unfortunately though when it comes to booster vaccinations, there seems no business considerations and they are still stuck on 6/7/8 months even as cases drastically increase.

It is high-time for Kishida’s government to admit that the Omicron variant is no more deadly than the common flu and so should be treated accordingly. Then there should be no shortage of hospital beds or essential workers.

And international travelers are still 10 - 14 days?

Notice that vaccination has no legal bearing in Japan.

All laws regarding Covid are regardless of vaccination status.

Which is repugnant. Does not incentivise those on the fence to get jabbed and backs up the moronic anti vax 'claims' that the jabs are useless.

He told reporters the decision was made in light of "expert opinions and new scientific evidence," noting also that Japan needs to strike a balance between curbing infections and maintaining functions in society.

This is the expert opinion:

On Jan 14, the government reduced the quarantine period from 14 days to 10 days, but the business community among others was calling for it to be shortened further by taking into account the new variant's characteristics.

And this is the scientific evidence:

Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases has said based on its analysis that the risk of developing symptoms from Omicron is less than 1 percent on the 10th day after coming into contact with the strain, compared with 5 percent on the seventh day.

Awesome!

Now I can't enter Japan to not spend 10 days in quarantine, instead I cannot enter Japan to not spend 7 days in quarantine!

But honestly though, what is keeping these people at home during their quarantine? Are there police watching you outside? I am positive there are many whom ignore the fact that they have the virus and proceed with their daily lives like commuting to work and coughing non-stop.

Now cut it to 5 days like everywhere else

I’ll be flying back to the UK tomorrow where there is no need for a PCR test, before or on arrival.

There is no need to quarantine!

I'm sure the same goes with many other countries. The same also goes with their online education, too.

They should just quarantine people after 8pm, as that is apparently the magic start time for contagion.

“Japan is like light years behind other advanced countries with respect to COVID decisions. “

Yeah, light years behind in terms of death toll also.

@Kyodo This virus isn't novel. It's been going on for 2 years. Please improve on your column writing skills.

Anyhow, hopefully, more pressure is applied so they can let the vaccinated people through without any quarantine period.

Why even bother with a change in this policy? Since over 260,00 infected are being forced to stay at home, Omi is going to be everywhere from infected household to household.

Japan is like light years behind other advanced countries with respect to COVID decisions.

And light years behind in fatalities too.

In Denmark they have now decided that Omicron is not a special social health hazard, and normal life should resume without authoritiarian restrictions. I hope Japan and other countries follow common sense.

Beto Ramirez

Anyhow, hopefully, more pressure is applied so they can let the vaccinated people through without any quarantine period.

Seeing that Omicron infects the vaccinated as well as the vaccinated, can explain your reason for this "pressure" that you demand? The only claim left for the current vaccines is that they lower the chance of hospitalizations for a months. NOT that they prevent infection.

Performing

And light years behind in fatalities too.

A relatively healthy population with very little obesity and enough Vitamin D in the diet (fish) goes a long way to explain that.

Pointless political posing from Kishida....

If you had close contact with someone with COVID how does it help decrease public transmission by returning you to the public even sooner?

@ preformingmonkey

And light years behind in fatalities too

I will argue that they are not. I suspect that the fatalities in other countries you are referring to has been heavily inflated.

If you had close contact with someone with COVID how does it help decrease public transmission by returning you to the public even sooner?

If you actually read the article you will know. Short answer: science.

oh so the same "science" that has us in Wave 6 of COVID two years into this?

with the most cases we have ever had despite the highest vaccination percentage ever and another "state of emergency that has done nothing to decrease the case counts.

that "science"?

what is actually is- vaccinated people feel upset that they also have to be involved in COVID protocols to prevent transmission.

They feel they should be able to do anything they want, with only unvaccinated people restricted. Unfortunately, vaccinated people can get and transmit COVID too, so restrictions are for all.

I get it, I would be mad too if I was told just get vaccinated and none of these restrictions would apply to me because I coudnt get COVID anymore.

Does this also include people who have arrived from abroad - you know, the people who I'd rather travel with on public transport because they've been tested 3-4 times in the past week as opposed to the locals.

it is simply the government responding to Keidanren's guidance, one of the very few things it does quickly. Nikkei reported Keidanren'S complaints about the policy and length of quarantine, 2 days ago, and voila!

Too bad it doesn't work the other way around with the government urging to Keidanren to raise wages.

Unfortunately, vaccinated people can get and transmit COVID too, so restrictions are for all.

once again for those that still cant or wont understand the science,

vaccines werent solely to stop infections their main goal was to reduce hospitalisation and death, which theyve been very effective at, filling up hospital beds with covid patients which are over 75% unvaxed so people that actually need the beds can get them.

the world got lucky with Omicron, in the US they now account for about 99% of all new cases. currently over 180000 hospitalised in the US vast majority are unvaxxed, its so bad that theyre now allowing infected care worker to tread covid patients

Omicron has effectively shut down Delta, imagine if Omicron being far more contagious was even far more lethal than Delta the death toll would be astronomical

And light years behind in fatalities too

amazing that people would downvote a statitical fact

covid deaths per capita

Japan 146/million

Australia 127/mil

NZ 11/mil

Singapore 148/ mil

Korea 127/mil

all these countries have a vax rate of around 75=80%

now for those that really did a bad job

UK 2295/ mil

USA 2633/mil

Brazil 2954/mil

Poland 2734/mil

Croatia 3306/mil

all these countries vax rate is between 40-60% or took too long to reach a high vax rate

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1104709/coronavirus-deaths-worldwide-per-million-inhabitants/

once again science for the win again

End the arrival quarantines now.

only 2% of people in Africa are over 70, in addition, the vast majority (70%) of Africans do not live in what could be described as a city - they live in more rural/village outdoor type settings where the virus is less likely to spread. And of course they are just more exposed to pathogens from the environment when young as to compared to a city person.

I don’t think it has much do to with government’s, your version of “following science” or things like that.

In the west theres all these people that live with heart medications, are very obese and have diabetes.

These people died like nobody else during the last 2 years.

Seriously people from the UK think its doing a better job than here? You have like 10Xs the deathrate!

No wtfjapan vaccines are “not designed for that”.

The pharmacutical companies and governments claimed that after you were double vaccinated you were good and could live your life.

The USA threw a white house party and Australia said once it reaches a certain percentage of vaccinations, it was over, and people can be free.

Don’t double track back and change the narative and side with those who made that up.