Haneda Airport Terminal 1.
Photographer: Stanislav Kogiku / SOPA Images / LightRocket / Getty Images
Photographer: Stanislav Kogiku / SOPA Images / LightRocket / Getty Images
The Japanese government will ban the entry of most foreigners until the end of January, as coronavirus cases reach all-time highs and the nation confirmed its first cases of the new, more infectious Covid strain.
The restrictions will be implemented on Monday, the government said in a statement. According to a statement on Saturday, Japanese citizens and foreigners residing returning from short business trips will no longer be exempt from a 14-day quarantine.
The move comes amid growing concerns about the spread of a new variant of the virus at a time when cases in Tokyo they have reached new highs. The variant, which emerged in the south-east of England in September and is rapidly spreading to the UK, is much more infectious than previous strains. Germany, France, Switzerland, Ireland and Sweden are some of the nations that have confirmed the presence of the new variant.
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On Saturday, the Japanese capital recorded a record 949 new cases, with reports that two more people, in addition to five confirmed on Friday, were found to be infected with the new strain. Governor Yuriko Koike said the New Year’s holiday period would be “a very important juncture” that would predict Tokyo’s future in 2021 and urged residents to avoid going out during the holidays.
Japan’s travel restrictions follow measures taken by other countries in their efforts to curb the spread of the virus, with early analyzes suggesting that the new variant may be both 70% more transmissible than other circulating strains.
The United States will require passengers flying from the United Kingdom to be shown test for a negative coronavirus test from 28 December, while regions from Hong Kong to Canada have temporarily suspended travel from the UK
– With the assistance of Kana Nishizawa
(Updates with additional details in the second paragraph)