Govt to offer free virus tests in areas with spread of omicron variant
16:59 JST, December 23, 2021
The government plans to offer free PCR and antigen tests to all who request them in prefectures where the omicron variant of the novel coronavirus is likely to spread. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida referred to the plan as a measure to counter a possible sixth wave of infections in a speech in Tokyo on Thursday afternoon.
The government envisages the free tests will be available in Osaka Prefecture, where the nation’s first community transmission of the variant was confirmed Wednesday, and Okinawa Prefecture, where cluster infections involving the variant have been reported on a U.S. military base. Kishida also cited Kyoto Prefecture, where an apparent case of community transmission was reported Thursday.
“Concerns are growing,” Kishida said in the speech.
If omicron cases are confirmed in other prefectures, free virus tests are likely to be carried out there if their governors ask the central government to take that step, according to government sources.
The omicron variant is said to be more contagious than the delta variant, which was first detected in India. “It’s necessary to identify people infected [with the variant] by expanding testing,” a government source said.
Currently, PCR tests and other coronavirus tests are given for free when doctors or public health centers deem the testing necessary for people such as those who have a fever or who had close contact with infected people. But people have to pay if they take the tests on their own initiative.
In a supplementary budget for fiscal 2021, which was passed in the Diet on Monday, the government included the cost of making testing free if requested by prefectural governors. The free testing is to cover people who cannot receive vaccines for reasons such as their physical condition and also children under 12. The envisaged measure is expected to be covered under this budget.
“We intend to strengthen the process of prevention, testing and early treatment by using the extra time that border-control measures have afforded us,” Kishida said during a meeting in Tokyo on Thursday morning.
"Society" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
-
U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
-
JAL Airplane Experiences Radio Malfunction During Flight, Lands Safely By Relying on Light Signals
-
Cherry tree falls on man on Sanneizaka steps leading to famous Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto
-
Strong Earthquake Rocks Southern Part of Kyushu; No Risk of a Tsunami
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Japan Household Spending Down 0.5% in Feb.
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
- UNRWA Director Describes Catastrophic Destruction in Gaza; Says Relief Trucks Robbed, ‘People’s Hearts Destroyed’