The government coronavirus response task force decided Friday to end an array of COVID-19 measures from May 8, when it will downgrade the legal category of the disease to the same level as seasonal flu.
The move, in line with the government’s decision to “live with the coronavirus,” means much of the state support for screening and treatments for the disease — introduced at the outset of the pandemic three years ago — will be scaled back. Similarly, free testing and outpatient care for those who test positive for COVID-19 will end.
But since the drugs recently approved for the disease are quite expensive, the government will, at least until the end of September, continue to pay for their costs and subsidize hospitalization fees by up to ¥20,000 per month, officials said.