In an abrupt about-face, the government has retracted an earlier decision and will allow examinees who had close contact with people infected with the omicron coronavirus variant to take school entrance exams if they have tested negative and have no symptoms.
The new decision, announced by the education ministry Monday, will apply to exams for state-run and private universities as well as for unified entrance exams next month, in a policy shift from previous guidelines barring such examinees from taking the tests. The new decision will also apply to exam takers for junior high school and high schools.
"We would like examinees to take thorough steps to prevent infection and universities to take all possible measures," education minister Shinsuke Suematsu said during a news conference Monday.