| On the 30th (local time), Narita International Airport in Japan is showing a quiet appearance amid growing concerns about the spread of a new mutation ‘Omicron’ of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). © Reuters=News1 © News1 Reporter Jiwon Yoon |
The fifth ‘worried mutation’ Omicron confirmed in Japan.
According to Japanese NHK and Kyodo News on the 30th, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno held a press conference in the afternoon and revealed that a man in his 30s who arrived from Namibia, Africa, was confirmed to have been infected with the Omicron mutation.
This is the first time that an Omicron mutation has been confirmed in Japan. Minister Matsuno said that he would hold a cabinet meeting at 5 p.m. on the same day to discuss countermeasures.
The confirmed man entered Narita Airport from Namibia on the 28th. The man tested positive for COVID-19 at the time of entry examination. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases conducted a genetic analysis of the man’s sample, and as a result, it was confirmed that he was infected with omicron mutations.
The man is waiting at a nationally designated facility with his family after arriving in Japan. Both family members tested negative. All other passengers on board were confirmed to be negative, Japanese media reported.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has already contacted the relevant public health center, etc., by identifying the detailed route of infection and other people who have come into contact with it.
Namibia is one of eight countries in South Africa where countries around the world have imposed entry bans to block the entry of Omicron.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government has requested a 10-day self-quarantine at government-designated facilities for inbound and outbound nationals from nine African countries and 14 countries infected with Omicron.
Minister Matsuno said, “I tested positive for COVID-19 at the airport quarantine station and was quickly quarantined. I think Japan’s quarantine measures are working effectively.”
jrkim@news1.kr
