Schoolchildren across Japan have been required to eat lunch silently during the coronavirus pandemic as part of efforts to prevent the virus from spreading. But some municipalities have started relaxing the rules.

The city of Fukuoka's board of education notified its municipal elementary and junior high schools on Monday that students are once again allowed to talk during lunch — as long as they keep their voices low.

“Infections in Fukuoka city have been settling down,” a board of education official said. “It’s important that children enjoy conversation with their friends (during lunch).”

Other virus measures will still be in place, including making sure students face forward while eating and keep their mask on when they say “itadakimasu,” a standard pre-meal expression of thanks, the official said.

The city had been receiving inquiries from the public on the issue and consulted with experts before making the decision, the official said.

Fukuoka is one of a handful of municipalities to lift the restrictions on mokushoku (silent eating), at schools. Miyazaki Prefecture told its prefecture-run schools earlier this month that they may begin loosening restrictions during lunch, while Chiba Prefecture still requires children to eat lunch silently but allows them to move their desks to face each other.

Before the pandemic, it was common for groups of four to six students to move their desks to face each other and talk while they ate — a highlight of the day for some children. But when the pandemic hit, they were all required to eat silently with their desks facing forward to avoid face-to-face interactions without masks. Some schools have played music during lunchtime to avoid total silence.

Since the government's quasi-emergency measures were lifted in March, COVID-19 guidelines for bars and restaurants have been eased, accepting longer operating hours and more people per table. Since then, calls to ease restrictions at schools have grown louder as well.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said last week that he expects municipalities to take appropriate measures in accordance with the local situation and based on the guidelines proposed by the education ministry.