Photo/Illutration Visitors wearing protective face masks wait to offer prayers on the first business day of the New Year at the Kanda Myojin shrine in Tokyo on Jan. 4. (Reuters)

The government will consider downgrading COVID-19 to a less-severe category 5, the same as seasonal influenza, of the five-tier system under the infectious disease prevention law.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet with health minister Katsunobu Kato and others on Jan. 20 to ask them to consider the reclassification.

The government plans to reclassify COVID-19 this spring or later, following discussions by the health ministry’s subcommittee on infectious diseases, notifications of the change to medical institutions and local authorities, and a preparation period.

With the reclassification, the government will also consider revising its recommendation on wearing masks indoors.

The government currently recommends wearing masks indoors, but it will consider telling the public it’s not necessary, in principle, except when someone exhibits symptoms of being infected with the novel coronavirus.

COVID-19 is currently classified under the category of “infectious diseases such as novel influenza” under the infectious disease prevention law.

It is also a disease that the Law on Special Measures against Novel Influenza covers.

The law is the legal basis for when the central or prefectural governments establish a COVID-19 response headquarters, or when the central government declares a COVID-19 state of emergency or pre-emergency measures.

If COVID-19 is downgraded to category 5, it will no longer be covered by the law, meaning the central or prefectural governments will be unable to take such measures.

In addition, experts believe if COVID-19 is reclassified, measures based on the infectious disease prevention law will not be taken for the disease.

Such measures include recommending COVID-19 patients be hospitalized or requesting infected individuals or their “close contacts” to refrain from going out.

The novel coronavirus is still highly infectious, experts said. COVID-19 outbreaks could be repeated in the future, straining medical services, they said.

With that in mind, some argue that the government should not quickly cease support, including grants for medical institutions to set aside hospital beds for COVID-19 patients.

The government should gradually review such support, instead of abolishing it all at once, the experts said.

The government initially classified COVID-19 as “equivalent to category 2,” the same category as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or tuberculosis.

Infectious diseases classified in category 5 include seasonal influenza, rubella, measles and syphilis.

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