We updated new poster of mask use. – 厚労省

Go to COVID-19 Home

「マスク着用」日本語サイト

Wear a mask when meeting with the elderly or spending time in a hospital. Remove your mask if you do not need it outdoors, to prevent heat stroke.
■Outdoors： You do not need to wear a mask outdoors when you are approximately 2 meters apart from others, or when you are not talking at a distance of less than 2 meters.
■Indoors： You do not need to wear a mask indoors when you are approximately 2 meters apart from others and when you are not talking.

• Wear your mask when not eating［PDF形式：133KB］
• Our preventative measures to protect our customers［PDF形式：135KB］
• Mask Use in Community Settings［PDF形式：1010KB］
• Mask Use for Children［PDF形式：764KB］
• おくがい・おくないのマスク（やさしいにほんご）［PDF形式：742KB］
• こどものマスク（やさしいにほんご）［PDF形式：364KB］
• Mask Use for Travelers［PDF形式：409KB］
• Mask Use for Travelers(日本語版)［PDF形式：409KB］

・Fit a mask tightly to your face with covering your nose and mouth completely
・No gaps between the mask, your cheeks and your chin
・Do not touch the surface of the mask. Wash your hands immediately if you touch it
・Hold the strings when you remove your mask

・Masks are not necessary outdoors except when conversing with people in close proximity.
・Masks are not necessary when quietly passing other people, such as when walking or bicycling to work, or when taking a walk or running.
・Masks should be removed when outdoors to prevent heat stroke, especially when temperatures and humidity are high.
・However, do not forget to wear a mask during rush hour commutes, in hospitals, and when meeting elderly people.
・Thank you for your cooperation.

Basic infection control measures are important because the infection route of new coronavirus infection is thought to be inhalation of droplets and aerosols emitted when coughing, sneezing, talking, etc., and contact infection. Basic infection control measures include avoidance of the “three Cs,” (Closed spaces, Crowded places and Close-contact settings)”maintaining a safe distance between people,” “wearing masks,” “hand washing and other hand hygiene,” and “ventilation.

The situations in which masks should be worn or may be removed with are as follows.

<Outdoors>
-When talking with others at a distance of at least 2 meters, it is recommended to wear a mask.
-If you are able to maintain a physical distance from others (e.g., walking, running, or cycling in the park), or if you are not able to maintain a physical distance from others but are rarely engaged in conversation (*) (e.g., passing people outdoors while walking or biking to work), you do not need to wear a mask.
-In summer in particular, it is recommended to remove the mask in outdoor situations where it is not necessary to wear it in order to prevent heatstroke.
*”Hardly conversing” refers to situations such as exchanging a simple greeting when passing someone outdoors, or passing by someone talking on a cell phone without stopping.
 
<Indoors>
-When you cannot maintain a physical distance from others (e.g., on a commuter train where you rarely engage in conversation) or when you can maintain a distance from others but still engage in conversation, wearing a mask is recommended*.
-When a person is physically distant from another person and rarely converses with them (e.g., reading in a library or viewing art from a distance), it is not necessary to wear a mask.
-However, when visiting the elderly or in hospitals, etc., where there is a high risk of serious illness, it is recommended to wear a mask.

*In the case of “conversing with others at a distance,” masks can be removed if sufficient ventilation and other infection-prevention measures are in place. However, since ventilation conditions and building structures are not uniform indoors, please make an appropriate decision when removing your mask, taking into consideration the measures taken to prevent the spread of infection in each situation and the instructions of the manager of the indoor facility in question.

<For school-aged children from elementary school to high school stage>
-When children are outdoors and can maintain a physical distance from others (e.g., when playing outdoor games that do not involve close proximity, such as exercising, moving, or playing tag), or when they can maintain a distance from others but rarely engage in conversation (e.g., in outdoor educational activities such as nature observation and sketching), they do not need to wear masks.
-In the case of indoor activities where physical distance from others can be maintained and conversation is rarely required (e.g., individual reading, research, and thinking), the wearing of masks is not necessary.

Please refer to the website of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for more information on the use of masks in school life.
 
<For preschool children in day-care centers, certified child-care centers, kindergartens>
-Masks should be worn with caution by infants and toddlers (before they enter elementary school), and are not recommended for children under 2 years of age.
-With regard to preschool children aged 2 years and older, the wearing of masks is not uniformly required regardless of physical distance from others, as it is necessary to take into account individual developmental status, physical condition, and other factors. (The WHO does not require masks to be worn by children under 5 years of age.)
-If a child is not feeling well and is unable to wear a mask for a sustained period of time, it is not necessary to force the child to wear a mask. Especially in the summer, it is recommended that the child remove the mask when outdoors when it is not needed in order to prevent heat stroke.
-In the case of an outbreak in a daycare center or other facility, it is often difficult for preschool children to wear masks correctly and snugly. So rather than paying attention to be worn correctly, parents and other adults should pay attention to their children’s physical condition. Please avoid forcing children to wear masks against the intention of the children and their parents.