Japan is closed to visitors.
To slow the spread of the new highly contagious coronavirus mutation first discovered in the UK, Japan said it will temporarily ban people who don’t live there from entering the country.
The ban will take effect Monday and will run through January, Reuters reported.
Japanese nationals and foreign residents require proof of a negative coronavirus test 72 hours prior to departure before being allowed to return. Travelers must quarantine for two weeks after arrival, the government said.
Japan has found five cases of the fast-spreading variant in passengers arriving from Great Britain. It has also been discovered in a man visiting the UK and a family member – the first cases of infected people found outside airport controls – Nippon TV reported on Saturday.
Several countries have banned or restricted travel to and from the UK as the rapidly spreading strain of the virus moves through the population there.
Tokyo reported 949 new cases on Saturday, a new high for the Japanese capital as the country grapples with an upsurge spreading across the country. According to the Associated Press, Japan now has nearly 4,000 cases across the country.
Japan has not been able to slow the contagion, despite government requests for people not to eat out and party during the holidays.