Request to All Citizens and Businesses in Saitama Prefecture
May 1, 2023

In accordance with the Act on Infectious Diseases Article 44-2 Paragraph 3, the national government
announced on April 27, 2023, that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) will no longer be classified as a
Pandemic Influenza (Novel Influenza) from May 7, 2023, and will be reclassified as a Category V Infectious
Disease from May 8, 2023.
To reflect these changes, the Request to All Citizens and Businesses in Saitama Prefecture will end on May 7,2023.
1 Requests for Citizens
Requests based on the Act on Infectious Diseases Article 44-3, Paragraph 2○ Request for registering positive cases and health monitoring
If you are diagnosed as positive for the new coronavirus at a medical institution or testing center, please register with the"COVID-positive registration service", and report your health condition to "My HER-SYS" (the self-registration system
for infected persons)
If any of the following apply to you, registration will be completed by the medical institution, so self-registration is not
required.

① Patients 65 years or older on the date of examination

② Patients requiring hospitalization as determined by the doctor③ Persons at risk of becoming seriously ill, and,patients requiring medication for the new coronavirus
Or, since contracting the virus, patients requiring oxygen as determined by the doctor④ Patients who are pregnant
If any of the above 1-4 apply to you and you were reported as positive by the medical institution, please report your healthcondition to "My HER-SYS" (the self-registration system for infected persons).
Other requests○ Outings and Travel
When traveling outside of the prefectural borders for purposes such as returning home or recreational travel,please strictly adhere to basic infection-prevention measures (social distancing, wearing a mask*1, hand washingand sanitation, etc.), and avoid the “Three Cs” in addition to abstaining from high infection-risk behavior.
If you feel unwell, please refrain from going out (to dining and drinking facilities, participating in events, etc.)
When going out, as much as possible, do so in small groups of family or people who you see regularly, and avoid
crowded areas and busy times. When shopping, go with the smallest number of people necessary.
*1 See attachment for details.

○ Use of Dining and Drinking Facilities
Please use facilities which adhere to industry-specific guidelines, especially Sai-no-Kuni “New Lifestyle” Safety
Declaration Plus-certified dining and drinking facilities, which implement measures to protect the lives of theirpatrons.

○ Infection-Prevention Measures Taking into Account the Characteristics of the Omicron Variant
Please adhere to the following infection-prevention measures to lower the risk of infection∶
Avoid long periods of eating and drinking as much as possible, and do not speak in a loud voiceEven within your own home, regularly ventilate the rooms and frequently wash your hands
Strictly adhere to infection-prevention measures for children
The elderly or those with underlying health conditions should meet only with the people they see regularly, insmall groups○ Consideration for Medical Institutions
If you are at low risk of developing severe illness, please make use of online diagnosis confirmation services
after self-diagnosing.
There have been instances of inconsiderate speech toward health care professionals. We ask that you please be
careful with your words while understanding that working in the medical field is very strenuous.

○ Adherence to Infection Prevention Measures after Isolation Period
For patients with symptoms of coronavirus, you can end your isolation period on the 8th day (7 days after theonset of symptoms, and 24 hours after symptoms have disappeared).
Asymptomatic patients can end their isolation period on the 8th day (7 days after sample collection). If you test
negative on the 5th day with a qualitative antigen test, you can end your isolation on the 6th day.
However, you cannot end your isolation period if you do not meet the requirements set by your doctor.
As you may still be infectious for 10 days (7 days for asymptomatic patients), please strictly adhere to infectionprevention measures.
Continue to monitor your body temperature and health
Avoid close contact with persons at high risk, such as the elderly
Avoid visiting high-risk facilities and places with high risk of infection
Avoid eating with others
Wear a mask

2 Requests for Businesses (including facility managerial staff)(1) Requests for All BusinessesRequests based on the Act on Special Measures, Article 24, Paragraph 9○ Use of and Adherence to Industry-Specific Guidelines
Please use and adhere to resources such as the Sai-no-Kuni “New Lifestyle” Safety Declaration and industryspecific guidelines, which were designed to assist businesses and facilities with specific independent measures
to prevent the spread of infection.

Other requests○ Infection-Prevention Measures Taking into Account the Characteristics of the Omicron Variant
For work places continuing business, please proceed with plans to reduce the number of people in the workplacethrough systems such as working at home (telework), etc.

○ Regarding Efforts in Confirmation of Vaccination and Test Results
While increasing the peace of mind and safety of citizens, in an effort to restore and continue socioeconomic
activities, please conduct confirmation of vaccination and test results in settings and places thought to have a highrisk of infection such as dining and drinking facilities, events, travel, etc. However, please take care that this does
not cause unfair discrimination.
※ It is not necessary to check test results for pre-school aged children (generally under 6 years of age) who areaccompanied by a parent or other guardian that lives with them. Please check test results for children aged 6-11
until they have received their second vaccine.

(2) Requests for Facility Managerial Staff
Facilities where cluster infections have previously occurred, or where avoiding the “Three Cs” is difficult, please fully
implement infection-prevention measures.
Please implement effective ventilation practices indoors such as continuously running fans and frequently opening
windows, etc. to prevent aerosol infection.

(3) Requests for the Workplace

○ Efforts to Reduce the Number of People in the Workplace and Contact Between People
Please promote methods to reduce contact between people at work, such as working at home (telework), staggered work
hours, commuting by bicycle, etc., as well as methods to reduce crowding in the office etc.

○ Infection-Prevention Measures in the Workplace
In the workplace, please promote infection-prevention efforts such as hand washing and using hand sanitizer, proper
coughing etiquette, maintaining distance between coworkers, diligently ventilating workplaces, disinfecting surfaces
touched by many people, refraining from going to work if you have a fever or other symptoms, testing with an antigen
kit if you have mild symptoms, reducing business travels by using video conferences, staggering lunch breaks, andimplementing infection-prevention measures at employee dormitories and other communal living spaces, etc. Pleasealso avoid the "Three Cs."
Please be especially careful when going to other locations and thoroughly implement infection-prevention measuresin break rooms, dressing rooms, and smoking rooms, etc.

○ Consideration for Employees at Risk of Becoming Seriously Ill
Please show consideration for employees at risk of becoming seriously ill such as the elderly or those who haveunderlying health conditions, employees who are pregnant, or employees who live with family members in thesecategories, by listening to their requests for infection-prevention measures such as working from home (telework),staggered work hours, etc.

(4) Requests for Dining and Drinking Facilities
Please use and adhere to the Sai-no-Kuni “New Lifestyle” Safety Declaration
If your facility is not Sai-no-Kuni “New Lifestyle” Safety Declaration Plus-certified, please apply as soon aspossible.
Facilities that are not certified should reduce operating hours to be between 5 a.m. and 8 p.m., and should notserve alcohol.

(5) Requests for Retail and other Crowded Indoor Facilities

Facilities*2 stipulated in the Act on Special Measures, Article 11, Paragraph 1 should adhere to the following:
Implement measures to prevent overcrowding
Enforce mask-wearing policies for customers (ends March 12, 2023)*2

Theaters, stadiums, movie theaters, entertainment halls, etc. (No. 4)
Meeting spaces, public halls, etc. (No. 5)
Exhibition halls (No. 6)
Retail stores (Except for stores selling essential products as designated by the Minister of Health, Labour andWelfare, such as food, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, other hygiene products, regenerative medicine
products, and fuel) (No. 7)
E.g. large-scale retail stores, shopping malls, department stores, electronics retail stores, etc.
Hotels, inns, etc. (Only in meeting spaces) (No. 8)
Workout facilities, amusement centers, etc. (No. 9)
Museums, art galleries, etc. (No. 10)
Amusement facilities (Except for those licensed to operate under the Food Sanitation Act) (No. 11)
Facilities operating in the service industry (Except for essential services) (No. 12)

Attachment
Regarding the Wearing of Masks
On February 10, 2023, the national government's novel coronavirus taskforce revised its guidelines regarding the wearing ofmasks and general infection prevention measures.
To reflect this change, Saitama Prefecture will also be revising its guidelines regarding the wearing of masks from March 13,2023, as follows.

○ In general, the decision to wear a mask will be left up to the individual. However, businesses can implement maskwearing policies for customers or staff on the basis of coronavirus infection prevention or business operation reasons.
○ To prevent infection in older and high-risk persons, mask wearing is recommended in the following settings:
・ During medical examinations
・ When visiting hospitals and residential medical facilities with many older and high-risk patients or aged-carefacilities, etc.
・ Riding the train and bus* during crowded times such as rush hour (same as current)*Except on services where generally all passengers can be seated (e.g. bullet trains, commuter train services, highway buses,charter buses, etc.)○ Persons at high risk of serious illness should wear a mask when going to crowded places when coronavirus is prevalent○ Persons with symptoms, persons who have tested positive for coronavirus, and households with someone who has tested
positive, should refrain from going out. If you must leave home for essential reasons such as visiting the doctor, avoid
crowds and wear a mask.
○ Mask-wearing is recommended for staff when working at hospitals and residential medical facilities with many older
and high-risk patients or aged-care facilities○ If the number of cases of infection drastically increases, it is possible that strengthened infection prevention measures,
including mask-wearing, will be temporarily implemented again. In this case, guardians and other adults should pay close
attention to the health of the children around them, as there are concerns regarding the health effects of children wearing
masks.