TOKYO (AP) – Japan prohibits entry of all non-resident aliens as a precaution against a new and potentially more contagious variant of coronavirus that has spread across Britain.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the entry ban will take effect on Monday and will last until January 31.
Last week, Japan banned non-resident foreigners coming from Britain and South Africa after confirming the new variant in seven people over the past two days – five from Britain who tested positive at airports and two others in Tokyo.
Japan is also suspending the exemption from a 14-day quarantine for Japanese citizens and resident foreigners in a short track program that started in November. Participants must now carry proof of a negative test 72 hours before departure to Japan and isolate themselves two weeks after arrival.
Japan has been facing increasing cases since November. It has confirmed a total of 217,312 cases, including 3,213 deaths, an increase of 3,700 from the previous 24-hour period. In Tokyo alone, 949 cases were reported, setting a new record, despite calls from experts and government officials for people to spend a “quiet” vacation period.
Elsewhere in the Asia Pacific region:
South Korea has decided not to immediately enforce its strictest distance traffic rules in the greater Seoul region, despite an increase in coronavirus cases there. The area is currently under the second highest distance rules. Calls have been made to bring the restrictions to the highest level, but the government is reluctant to do so due to concerns about the economy. Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said on Sunday that the government will maintain current restrictions in the Seoul region until Jan. 3. He said the third highest level of distance rules imposed in other regions will also remain in effect until January 3. Kwon said South Korea registered an average of 999 new cases per day last week, 690 of which were in the Seoul region. Under current rules, nightclubs, karaoke rooms, fitness centers, gyms and school schools in the Seoul region have suspended operations. As an extra step, authorities last week banned social gatherings of more than five people and ordered the closure of ski resorts and other tourist spots. The toughest restrictions would shut down hundreds of thousands of businesses and mandate companies to let all non-essential workers work from home. South Korea has reported a total of 56,872 cases, including 808 deaths.
– Officials in Beijing reported five new locally transmitted coronavirus cases as authorities rushed to test residents en masse. The five cases, linked to previous infections, lived in the Shunyi district of the city, which has since triggered a contingency plan, including mass testing, source tracing and disinfection. As of Saturday afternoon, more than 120,000 had been tested for the corona virus. Authorities plan to test 800,000 people in the district. Separately, officials reported four locally transmitted cases in the northeastern port city of Dalia, where more than 4.75 million people were tested after more than 20 confirmed cases this month. China reported 22 new cases in the past 24 hours, including 10 imported and 12 domestic cases. China has reported a total of 86,955 cases so far, with 4,634 deaths.
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