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 the entry of most foreigners by the end of January, as coronavirus cases reach record numbers there and the nation has confirmed its first cases of a new, more infectious Covid strain.
The restrictions will be implemented on Monday, the government said in a statement. Japanese citizens and foreigners residing returning from short business trips will not be exempted from the 14-day quarantine, according to Saturday’s statement.
The move comes amid growing concerns about the spread of a new variant of the virus at a time when in Tokyo they reached new highs. The variant, which appeared in the south-east of England in September and is spreading rapidly in the UK, is much more infectious than the previous strains. Germany, France, Switzerland, Ireland and Sweden are among the nations that have confirmed the presence of the new variant.
Why the Coronavirus moved from the UK: QuickTake
On Saturday, the Japanese capital reported a record 949 new cases, with reports saying two other people, in addition to five confirmed on Friday, were found infected with the new strain. Governor Yuriko Koike said the New Year’s holiday season would be “a very important moment” that would predict the future of Tokyo in 2021 and urged residents to avoid going out during the holidays.
Japan’s travel restrictions are following in the footsteps of other countries in their efforts to reduce the spread of the virus, with early analysis suggesting that the new variant may be as large as 70% more transmissible than other circulating strains.
The US will ask passengers flying from the UK to show up evidence of a negative coronavirus test since December 28, while regions in Hong Kong to Canada have temporarily suspended travel to the UK
– With the assistance of Kana Nishizawa
(Updates with additional details in the second paragraph)