The government is expected to relax mask-wearing guidelines when the classification of COVID-19 is downgraded to Category V in spring.
Wearing masks outdoors is not required under existing rules, in principle. However, the government recommends wearing masks indoors unless social distancing is practiced or people are not conversing with others.
"We will discuss the possibility of narrowing down the kinds of situations in which mask-wearing will be required," Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato said at a press conference on Friday.
Although the government is considering relaxing guidelines for wearing masks indoors, it is thought that many people will likely continue to observe coronavirus measures that have taken root during the pandemic.
"The habit of using masks will probably continue," a Unicharm Corp. spokesperson said.
Masatoshi Kaku, chairman of the Japan Paper Association, also expects demand for such products to "remain firm."
"We won't change the pandemic measures we have in place for customer service for the time being," an official of a major hotel operator said.
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