Photo/Illutration The government building housing the health ministry (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The health ministry on Jan. 13 was expected to propose shortening the required isolation period for people deemed in close contact with Omicron variant-infected patients from two weeks to seven days.

However, experts on infectious diseases have indicated they will recommend the isolation period be shortened to 10 days during the meeting of the ministry’s advisory panel. The experts could also suggest a five-day isolation period based on a negative test result.

“There still are many unknown things about the Omicron variant,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters on Jan. 13. “I am aware that a flexible response is needed.”

The isolation periods for people in close contact with an infected individual are based on the longest possible incubation period of the virus in question.

For the Omicron variant, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases on Jan. 11 released a report on patients in Okinawa Prefecture, where the variant has spread ahead of other parts of the country.

For 17 patients whose infection routes were determined, the variant’s incubation period was from two to five days. For most of the patients, it was three days.

Conventionally, COVID-19 patients are believed to develop symptoms after five days.

Health care workers deemed to have been in close contact with Omicron patients had no choice but to miss work for isolation. But the central government changed its policy to allow such medical workers to continue to work on certain conditions.

The National Governors’ Association and junior ruling coalition partner Komeito have urged the central government to shorten the isolation period for everybody, saying society will be unable to function if close contact people keep increasing in number and are forced to be isolated.

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