Three years have passed since COVID-19 was reclassified into lower-risk category, and the government is making efforts to avoid a repeat of misinformation and discrimination during infectious disease outbreaks. | BLOOMBERG

Friday marks three years since Japan downgraded COVID-19 to the same legal category as seasonal influenza.

The government is currently overhauling how it communicates during infectious disease outbreaks, seeking to avoid a repeat of the misinformation, discrimination and public confusion that spread during the pandemic.

COVID-19 was reclassified as a Class 5 disease under Japan’s infectious diseases control law on May 8, 2023, which eased many pandemic-era restrictions.

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