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On November 16, 2020, the Prime Minister held the 46th meeting of the Novel Coronavirus Response Headquarters at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
At the meeting, the participants discussed the response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
 
Following the discussion, the Prime Minister said,
 
“Regarding the infection situation of the novel coronavirus, the number of patients that newly tested positive in a single day reaches a record high, and the situation continues to require the greatest possible vigilance. Against this backdrop, we have built a structure such that more than 24,000 medical institutions nationwide conduct medical consultations and testing for patients that develop fevers. We will continue to implement measures to prevent the spread of infections, such as conducting large-scale and intensive testing and dispatching experts, and implement effective measures in order to realize a balance with socio-economic activities.
 
To begin with, in cases where local governments request business operators of specific areas or industries to reduce business hours in an effective manner and disburse cooperation money, we will support them through distributions of the Special Allocation for Regional Revitalization, making use of the new 50-billion-yen window.
 
Furthermore, in the prefectures where infections are spreading, we will request the respective governors to consider taking specific actions, such as making the Go To Eat campaign vouchers or reward points no longer applicable to dining with more than five persons or so, as well as how to handle the case of dining with family.
 
In order to advance infectious disease control, it is essential to reinforce the structures of public health centers. The Government has already coordinated the dispatch of health professionals from other prefectures to those in need and, with around 600 professionals including public health nurses that it has already secured, continues extending support to medical sites in an agile manner.
 
Regarding vaccines, an interim analysis that shows high efficacy rate was recently published. Some of the vaccines will require special care for transport and storage. While prioritizing safety and effectiveness, we will exert every effort to prepare in advance so as to conduct vaccinations for those in need expeditiously once vaccines are approved.
 
I ask each minister to continue to collaborate closely with local governments, and exert every effort towards streamlined, effective measures, in order to prevent the further spread of infections by any means possible.
 
In addition, I ask the public to be mindful of the five scenes where the risk of infection increases proposed by the experts, such as social gatherings that involve drinking alcohol and dining for a long time with a large number of guests, and to once again thoroughly implement basic preventive measures, such as avoiding the three Cs and wearing a mask when conversing.”