Prime Minister Kishida: “We must avoid the worst situation”
New arrivals apply from 0 am on the 30th
On the 31st of last month, Shibuya Street, a downtown area in Tokyo, Japan, is crowded with people enjoying Halloween. Tokyo | AP Yonhap News
The Japanese government announced on the 30th that it will in principle ban new entry of foreign nationals to prevent the spread of COVID-19 omicron mutations. It is unclear whether Omicron is present, but it has also confirmed that a person arriving from Namibia has contracted the new coronavirus.
At a press conference held at the Prime Minister’s residence on the 29th, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, “This is an emergency evacuation precaution to avoid the worst case scenario.” . This measure will take effect from 00:00 on the 30th, and new entry of foreigners will not be accepted unless there are special circumstances such as family staying in Japan.
Short-term business travelers, international students, and technical trainees, who have been allowed to enter the country as an exception, are also included in the entry ban. It is also planned to make quarantine at designated facilities mandatory for Japanese returning from countries where Omicron infection has been confirmed. Prime Minister Kishida explained that the measure is a temporary measure until some information about Omicron is revealed.
Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Shigeyuki Goto announced on the same day that an entrant with a history of staying in Namibia, which is subject to entry restrictions, was confirmed to have contracted the new coronavirus during quarantine. It is not yet known whether it is an omicron mutation, and the health authorities explained that genetic information analysis is in progress. It will take 4-5 days for results to be available.
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