◎高齢者施設� �の従事者等に� ��する検査の実 施について.pdf

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's COVID-19 countermeasures headquarters has decided to strengthen testing measures, particularly for high-risk groups such as the elderly and those with disabilities, in response to the increasing number of new cases and the spread of the BA.5 variant.

All prefectures are requested to conduct concentrated testing at facilities with high-risk groups, such as nursing homes and facilities for people with disabilities, and to consider expanding testing to other facilities, such as schools and childcare centers, based on local infection trends.

The testing can be conducted using various methods, including PCR tests, antigen quantitative tests, and antigen qualitative test kits, with the latter being suitable for frequent testing in settings such as schools.

However, it is noted that antigen qualitative test kits may produce false negatives if the virus load is low, and therefore, infection prevention measures should be continued even if test results are negative.

The testing will be conducted at public expense, with the national government covering half of the costs, and local governments can also use their own funds or subsidies, such as the "COVID-19 Response Local Creation Temporary Grant" from the Cabinet Office, to conduct concentrated testing.