After the government announced on Friday that it will change the legal category of COVID-19 on May 8, there is now increased uncertainty about how society should deal with the pandemic. When exactly should people put on or take off masks? Can children be unmasked anywhere? Should shops and restaurants ditch hand sanitizer and plexiglass barriers?
According to officials, the answer now is to “use your own judgment.”
On Friday, a Health Department committee agreed the nation should change its response to COVID-19 to value “individual choices,” including whether to wear masks indoors or outdoors. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida explained his decision later in the day after calling a cabinet meeting and formally deciding to downgrade the disease to a seasonal flu tier, with the change taking effect after the Golden Week holiday.
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