TOKYO (AP) – Japan bans entry to all non-resident foreigners as a precaution against a new potentially contagious variant of the coronavirus that has spread to Britain.
The Foreign Ministry says the entry ban will start on Monday and last until January 31st.
Last week, Japan banned non-resident foreigners from Britain and South Africa after confirming the new variant in seven people over the past two days, five from Britain who tested positive at airports and two more in Tokyo. .
Japan is also suspending the 14-day quarantine exemption for Japanese and foreign citizens residing in a short-track program that began in November. Participants must now take a negative test 72 hours before departure for Japan and must be isolated for two weeks after arrival.
U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan – which, according to the State of the Forces Agreement, are exempt from Japanese passport control and visa requirements – would be allowed to enter the country for service or other reasons, although they should follow the quarantine rules.
Japan, which has been battling growing cases since November, has confirmed a total of 217,312 cases, including 3,213 deaths.
Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region:
– South Korea has decided not to immediately apply its tougher distancing rules to the greater Seoul area despite an increase in coronavirus cases there. The area is currently under the second highest distance rules. They have been asked to raise restrictions to the highest level, but the government is reluctant to do so due to concerns about the economy. Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said on Sunday that the government will maintain the current restrictions in the Seoul area until January 3. He said the third highest level of distancing rules imposed in other regions will also be maintained until January 3. Korea recorded an average of 999 new cases a day last week, with 690 in the Seoul area. Under current regulations, nightclubs, karaoke halls, fitness centers, gyms and cram schools in the Seoul area have suspended operations. As additional steps, authorities last week banned social gatherings of more than five people and ordered the closure of ski resorts and other tourist sites. Tighter restrictions would close hundreds of thousands more companies and order companies to have all non-essential employees work from home. South Korea has reported 56,872 cases overall, including 808 deaths.
– Beijing officials reported five new cases of locally transmitted coronavirus when authorities rushed to massively test residents. The five cases, related to previous infections, lived in the city’s Shunyi district, which has since activated an emergency response plan that includes mass testing, source tracking and disinfection. As of Saturday at noon, more than 120,000 had been tested for coronavirus. Authorities plan to test 800,000 people in the district. Separately, officials reported four cases transmitted locally to the northeastern port city of Dalia, where more than 4.75 million people were tested after more than 20 confirmed cases this month. China reported 22 new cases in the last 24 hours, including 10 imported and 12 domestic. So far, China has reported a total of 86,955 cases, with 4,634 deaths.
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