Following the surge in cases in India and other South Asian countries, Japan has extended the quarantine period for travelers who recently travelled to India and five other Southeast Asian countries. Amid growing concerns over B.1.617 Covid-19 variant, The Japanese government announced that those who recently traveled to India, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Pakistan Nepal, and Sri Lanka, must complete 10 days of mandatory quarantine period instead of the six days. The move is set to take effect from May 28.
Japan Had Shut Its Borders For Tourists Because Of The Deadly UK Strain
The new covid variant strain in the UK has created havoc across the globe. The variant, which is 70 per cent more infectious, is already mutating in a few countries. And keeping this mind, several countries have shut their borders for tourists. The latest one to join the list is Japan. Japan has announced a ban on non-resident foreign nationals from entering the country. It is because of the detection of the highly infectious variant in the country.
Japanese Citizens And Foreign Residents Will Be Allowed To Enter The Country
The ban will come into effect right from today, December 28 and will be in place till the end of January 2021. The statement on the ban was issued by the government on Saturday. Citizens and foreign residents will be allowed to enter the country, but only with the negative covid test taken within 72 hours of boarding the flight. They will also be required to quarantine for two weeks after arrival.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga Urges Citizens To Stay Indoors To Curb The Spread Of Virus
Japan has taken this step after it reported the first case of the new covid variant from a passenger arriving from Britain. The new strain has now added worries about a surge in cases as Tokyo reported another record rise on Saturday.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga urged the nation to stay at home and avoid social mixing for a while, especially for the New Years as cases in the country is on the rise again. With New Year celebrations around family gatherings and mass visits to temples and shrines, experts have warned public restraint will be essential to prevent infection rates from rising further amid concerns of pandemic fatigue.
Countries including Spain and Sweden have also reported a cluster of new cases of a mutant coronavirus variant. And because of this, more than 50 countries including Spain, India and the UAE have imposed travel restrictions on the UK.
Well, we hope that the year 2021 takes away covid-19 from our lives.