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Some situations may require endoscopy during the COVID‐19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) pandemic. Here, we describe the necessary precautions in the form of clinical questions and answers (Q&A) regarding the safe deployment of gastrointestinal endoscopy in such situations while protecting endoscopy staff and patients from infection. Non‐urgent endoscopy should be postponed. The risk of infection in patients should be evaluated in advance by questionnaire and body temperature. The health of staff must be checked every day. Decisions to employ endoscopy should be based on the institutional conditions and aims of endoscopy. All endoscopic staff need to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). The endoscope and other devices should be cleaned and disinfected after procedures in accordance with the relevant guidelines. Optimal management of the endoscopy unit is required. Endoscopy for infected patients or those with suspected infection demands exceptional caution. When a patient who undergoes endoscopy is later found to have COVID‐19, the members of staff involved are considered exposed to the virus and must not work for at least 14 days if their PPE is considered insufficient. When PPE resources are limited, some equipment may be used continuously throughout a shift as long as it is not contaminated. Details of the aforementioned protective measures are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures have a high risk of aerosol contamination of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) to endoscopists, nurses, and healthcare assistants. Given the current pandemic situation of COVID‐19, the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society issued the recommendation for gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy based on the status of COVID‐19 as of April 9, 2020, in Japan: (i) indications for GI endoscopy in the pandemic of COVID‐19; (ii) practical protective equipment for medical personnel depending on the risk for COVID‐19; (iii) preprocedural management, such as pharyngeal local anesthesia using lidocaine spray which has a potential to generate the aerosols; (iv) ideal settings of the endoscopy room including the numbers of the staff and the patients; (v) postprocedural management, such as undressing and follow‐up of the patients, as well as the involved staff, were documented to fit the practical scenarios in GI endoscopy, with the available data in Japan and the world. We believe that certain measures will prevent further spread of COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]