Omicron variant: Japan closes its borders to all foreign travelers from tomorrow

LAST UPDATE: 09.25

Japan closes its borders to all foreign travelers from tomorrow to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of the new coronavirus in its territory, the Japanese government said, just three weeks after easing some restrictions, allowing foreign businessmen to enter. and trainees.

“We will ban (new) entry of foreigners from all over the world from November 30,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.

The Japanese, who are returning from nine countries in southern Africa and from countries where Omicron cases have been confirmed, will be forced to be “severely isolated” at locations indicated to them, Mr. Kishida said.

The head of government explained that the measure is taken to avoid “the worst case scenario” and that the ban will apply from midnight Monday to Tuesday until later.

Japan, which has imposed restrictions on its borders since the pandemic, eased measures for business executives, students and trainees in early November, but continued to crack down on tourists.

On Friday, the Japanese government announced that all travelers from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe would be quarantined in hotels. The measure was extended at the weekend to travelers arriving in the country from Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.

The Omicron variant, identified in South Africa, has prompted several countries to close their borders to travelers coming from the southern part of the continent, although some had just opened up to the world.

In addition to countries in southern Africa, Omicron cases have also been reported in several G7 countries, from Canada to Italy to Britain and Germany.

The World Health Organization has described Omicron as a “worrying variant”, but advocates keeping borders open.

Japan has so far not confirmed any case of Omicron. A traveler from Namibia has been confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, but further tests are being done to determine if he is a carrier of the new variant, Health Minister Sigeyuki Goto said.

Until today, Mr. Kishinda announced that the only country that had announced that it was banning all foreigners from entering was Israel.

SOURCE: AMPE