Derivation of Criteria in the Measures against Novel Coronavirus Disease:Perspective of Regulatory Science

Abstract

The present study investigated the rationale for the derivation of criteria in the measures against novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). The following four cases were included in this study: the physical distance (social distance) of “1–2 m”; the criterion for ending isolation and returning to work after a COVID-19 suspected fever of “8 days after onset of fever”; the criterion for medical consultation and examination of “fever of more than 37.5°C for 4 days”; and the criteria for lifting intervention of self-restraint in each prefecture. These criteria could not be derived based on clear scientific facts in all cases. The actual processes of how the criteria were derived were organized.