Minister hopes Japan students to join farewell events without masks

TOKYO, Feb 03 (Kyodo) - Japanese education minister Keiko Nagaoka on Thursday expressed the hope that students will be allowed to attend their graduation ceremonies in the spring without having to wear face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Later in the day, however, the minister also told reporters that the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is "yet to decide" on the issue "at this point", but will swiftly start discussions.

The Kishida administration has been eager to ease rules to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus from May, with critics saying that face-to-face communication among students is crucial for school education. ...continue reading

Feb 03 (ANNnewsCH) - 卒業式でのマスク着用について、永岡桂子文部科学大臣は2日の国会で、「家庭の判断で外しての参加が可能」と答弁しました。  ...continue reading