Photo/Illutration Takaji Wakita, the head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and chair of the expert panel advising the health ministry on coronavirus countermeasures, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on June 1. (Kai Ichino)

Children shouldn’t be deprived of opportunities to play or learn by being subjected to excessive measures to avoid catching the novel coronavirus, an expert panel said in its proposals on June 1.

While generally supporting the government’s COVID-19 preventative measures, the panel, which advises the health ministry on coronavirus countermeasures, called for more appropriate approaches for children.

It cited data suggesting children who caught COVID-19 in the sixth wave had only minor symptoms.

The proposals also cited research from the United States that found wearing masks in schools lowers the risk of COVID-19 infections by only 23 percent.

Therefore, adults should decide if children need to wear masks depending on the situation, the panel said.

The panel added that closing kindergartens or schools interferes with children's development, noting a resultant decline in their academic abilities could prove to be a loss to society.

The panel also said schools or kindergartens should request that children take COVID-19 tests only when they show symptoms to reduce the burden on medical services.

(This article was written by Kai Ichino and Yuki Edamatsu.)

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