TOKYO: The Japanese government will consider a system to make it easier for people with no COVID-19 symptoms to undergo polymerase chain reaction tests for the coronavirus, economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura has said.

In a recent interview with Jiji Press, Nishimura, who is in charge of the government’s coronavirus responses, said the government is working to allow such people to get tested “as smoothly and inexpensively as possible.”

“Some healthy people want to undergo PCR tests to ease their worries over infection. Also, members of theatrical groups and professional sports teams are getting tested regularly as a coronavirus outbreak could pose a grave threat to their businesses,” the minister said.

The current health insurance system does not cover PCR tests on such people.

Nishimura said after Japan experienced the second wave of COVID-19 infections, he learned through analyses on cluster infection cases that the risk of catching the virus at eateries is “quite low” if each establishment takes appropriate preventive measures.

“We can reduce the risks of infection by gathering only in small groups and by sitting diagonally across the table,” Nishimura said. “We’ve also found that there is no link between the number of visitors to shops or amusement facilities and the number of infection cases.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Nishimura stressed the importance of tightening infection controls in entertainment districts.

He said it has come to light that a variant of the virus brought from Europe stayed in the Shinjuku entertainment district in Tokyo and spread nationwide to cause the second wave of infection in July and August.

Even when infections spread from entertainment districts in regional cities, it would be possible to contain the pandemic by conducting PCR tests extensively, the minister said. “After that, we may consider the option to request establishments of certain industries to shut down or shorten their operating hours on a localized basis for a limited period of time,” Nishimura added.

JIJI Press