Terminal 1 of Haneda Airport.
Photographer: Stanislav Kogiku / SOPA Images / LightRocket / Getty Images
Photographer: Stanislav Kogiku / SOPA Images / LightRocket / Getty Images
The Japanese government will ban most foreigners from entering until the end of January, as coronavirus cases reach record levels there and the country confirms its first cases of the new, more infectious strain of Covid.
The restrictions will be implemented on Monday, the government said in a statement. Japanese citizens and foreigners with residences returning from short business trips will no longer be exempt from the 14-day quarantine, according to Saturday’s statement.
The change comes amid growing concerns about the spread of a new variant of the virus at a time when in Tokyo reached new highs. The variant, which appeared in southeastern England in September and is spreading rapidly in the UK, is far more infectious than previous strains. Germany, France, Switzerland, Ireland and Sweden are among the nations that confirmed the presence of the new variant.
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On Saturday, the capital of Japan reported a record 949 new cases, with reports saying that two more people, in addition to five confirmed on Friday, were infected with the new strain. Governor Yuriko Koike said the New Year holiday period would be “a very important time” that would predict Tokyo’s future in 2021 and asked residents to avoid going out during the holidays.
Japan’s travel restrictions follow measures taken by other countries in their efforts to stem the spread of the virus, with initial analyzes suggesting that the new variant may be as much as 70% more transmissible than other circulating strains.
The US will require passengers flying from the UK to show evidence of a negative coronavirus test as of December 28, while regions from Hong Kong to Canada have temporarily suspended UK travel
– With the help of Kana Nishizawa
(Updates with additional details in the second paragraph)