Japan halts foreigners’ entry amid new virus strain scare

Japan on Monday imposed new COVID-19 response measures that include a ban on entrance for non-resident foreigners from most countries until the end of January to “protect” citizens, authorities announced.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Monday that the measures were taken to protect citizens amid the spread of the new and more transmissible coronavirus variant.

“These are proactive measures to protect the lives of the country’s citizens,” Mr Suga told reporters.

Japanese citizens and foreign residents arriving in Japan from countries where the new variant, firstly identified in the United Kingdom, is present will have to provide a negative test on COVID-19.

The test must be obtained within 72 hours before departure and another test done upon arrival.

However, businesspeople and Japanese students residing in 10 countries in Asia, including South Korea and China, will not be affected by the new restrictions.

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Japan had already suspended entrance from the UK and South Africa over two separate coronavirus strains.

The variant that is circulating in the UK has already spread to over 20 countries including Japan, which has registered eight such cases.

The new restrictive measures are introduced amid a surge in daily-registered COVID-19 cases in Japan.

The country is confirming nearly 4,000 cases a day on average in late December, up from some 2,000-2,500 at the beginning of the month.

(ANI/Sputnik/NAN)