We would like to announce that the following three administrative notifications regarding countermeasures against COVID-19 in schools issued by MEXT.
Contact:
The Office for a Professional Platform of Health and Hygiene Environment in Schools for Foreign Students provided by MEXT
TEL: 050-3187-8114 (a multilingual consultation service)
Email: hsfs@mediphone.jp
The revised Basic Policies for Novel Coronavirus Disease Control
On November 25, a session of the Headquarters for Countermeasures against Novel Coronavirus was held, and the "Basic Policies for Novel Coronavirus Disease Control" (hereinafter referred to as the "Basic Policies") were revised.
The main changes include the following recommendations and revisions. Please refer to the following administrative notifications which we have issued up to now.
・Measures to be taken in Preparation for the Concurrent Spread of COVID-19 and Seasonal Influenza (October 13, 2022, the Task Force on Developing Countermeasures against the Concurrent Spread of COVID-19 and Influenza)
・Infection Control Measures during the Period of the Spread of Infection from this Fall Onwards (October 13, 2022, the Subcommittee on Novel Coronavirus Disease Control)
・Expected Measures against the Burden on Health Care System due to Spread of Infection from this Fall Onwards (November 11, 2022, the Subcommittee on Novel Coronavirus Disease Control)
・Measures against the Burden on Health Care System due to Spread of Infection from this Fall Onwards (November 18, 2022, decided by the Headquarters for Countermeasures against Novel Coronavirus)
In addition to the above, we have also compiled the following points that require special attention in the operation of schools in relation to the changes in the Basic Policies, and we ask you to check them as well. We would like to ask you to continue to take the necessary measures to prevent the spread of infection in schools and to ensure the continuation of school educational activities in order to realize a fulfilling school life for students.
We are sharing this announcement with you with the hope that it will be utilized as a reference for your consideration of your responses to COVID-19.
To Prefectural miscellaneous category school departments: Please send this notification to the miscellaneous schools for foreign students under your jurisdiction.
To JCIS and AEBJ: Please send this notification to members of your council or association.
1.Vaccination against COVID-19 [Basic Policies p.20, etc.]
Due to the recent change in the Basic Policies, the following statement was included in "2 (2) Promotion of Vaccination": "The Omicron-adapted vaccine is expected to be more effective than the conventional vaccine in preventing severe illnesses and also more effective than the conventional vaccine against future mutant variants. The government will continue to call for the promotion of vaccination so that all eligible people who want to receive the vaccine will be vaccinated by the end of this year.”
With regard to the vaccination against the Omicron variant, in the administrative notification dated November 24, 2022, we have requested that you publicize and inform children and their parents of the Omicron-adapted vaccine in accordance with the requests of the local health authorities in your area so that children and their parents can make their own decisions on whether to be vaccinated. In addition, in an administrative notification dated November 17, we have also requested that you inform teachers and staff of the Omicron-adapted vaccine, and that you encourage the schools to ensure that all teachers and staff who wish to be vaccinated receive the vaccination by the end of the year. We would like to ask you to continue to promote measures in accordance with the actual situation in your local communities based on the information provided in these administrative notifications.
2.Infection Control Measures in Eating and Drinking Situations [Basic Policies p.25]
In the Basic Policies before the recent change, "2 (5) 1) Dissemination to people, etc." states: "In addition to thoroughly implementing basic infection control measures, people are urged to eat and drink in small groups and to eat in silence as much as possible, and to wear masks when conversing.”
However, this statement has been deleted in the recent change.
In this regard, the "New School Lifestyle – COVID-19 Infection Control Manuals and Guidelines for Schools" prepared by the MEXT has not requested for silent eating even in the past, stating, “At meals, it is necessary to take measures such as not having desks face each other and refraining from loud conversations so as not to spread droplets.” etc.
In fact, as some regions have shown, it is possible to allow conversations among students during lunch time by devising effective seating arrangements and ensuring appropriate ventilation, etc. We would appreciate it if you would consider such measures according to the actual situation in your area, taking the infection situation into consideration.
3.Others
As stated in the administrative notification dated October 28, 2022, children are at lower risk of serious illness than elderly people, and frequent testing of children is burdensome for both the child and the medical staff. It is thus not realistic to strengthen measures to prevent the spread of infection through testing. The change in the basic policy is also reflected in this revision.
We have already informed you about the measures of wearing masks in a series of administrative notifications. However, some points have been raised regarding the resulting impact on communication between students. Therefore, for example as a specific measure, each school, after giving appropriate consideration to the emotional state and needs of the students, should allow situations in which masks can be removed, and encourage students to remove masks when they are not needed. We ask that you continue to have students wear masks appropriately according to the location and occasion of the activity.
【Reference】
(the Basic Policies for Novel Coronavirus Disease Control)
・Basic Policies for Novel Coronavirus Disease Control (Revision on November 25, 2022, the Headquarters for Countermeasures against Novel Coronavirus) *in Japanese
・The revised Basic Policies for Novel Coronavirus Disease Control (November 25, 2022) (Comparison Table) *in Japanese
(Administrative notifications issued by the International Affairs Division of MEXT regarding this revision of the Basic Policies)
・Infection countermeasures in anticipation of concurrent spread of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza (Administrative notification dated October 28, 2022)
・Request for Further Efforts for Promotion of Vaccinations against the Omicron Variant for Teachers and Staff (Administrative notification dated November 17, 2022)
・Information for Students and Parents regarding Vaccinations against the Omicron Variant (Administrative notification dated November 24, 2022)
・Measures against the Burden on Health Care System due to Spread of Infection from this Fall Onwards (Administrative notification dated November 25, 2022)