Up to 250 people will be allowed to travel on a private chartered flight to Vietnam from Japan as early as late June, mainly for business purposes, as the first step toward relaxing travel restrictions implemented due to the novel covonavirus pandemic, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
The government is also arranging for businesspeople from Vietnam to enter Japan, according to government officials.
Japan currently refuses entry, in principle, to foreign nationals from 111 countries and regions, including Vietnam. It has also warned Japanese citizens against traveling to 129 countries and regions.
The government plans to allow the travel of businesspeople between Japan and Vietnam, while keeping the existing entry bans and travel warnings in place.
Regarding people who plan to travel between the two countries, the government is considering setting the following conditions:
-- Test negative for the virus in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test before departure and upon arrival at their destination.
-- Submit an itinerary for the first 14 days after entry to the destination country and make sure not to use public transportation services. Instead, use means of transportation arranged by the company or companies they will be visiting.
If these conditions are met, travelers are expected to be exempted from 14 days of self-isolation at their accommodations after entry, and to be allowed to engage in activities only at registered locations.
Vietnam has successfully curbed the number of infections via policies for thoroughly isolating people infected with the virus, and has already resumed economic activities.
Also a member of the so-called TPP-11, or the Trans-Pacific Partnership without the United States, Vietnam has strong economic ties with Japan. According to a senior Japanese govenrment official, "there has been strong desire from business circles" to resume travel between the two countries. The Japanese government decided to do so after concluding that "the risk of infections spreading will remain low even after travel is resumed," the official said.
The government was also negotiating with Thailand, Australia and New Zealand, where the COVID-19 situation has been stable, about easing travel restrictions.
According to government sources, Japan hopes to ease the restrictions on business trips between Japan and Thailand, while Thailand also wants to resume visits by tourists as soon as possible. Talks are ongoing between the two sides.
Australia and New Zealand have said they will first ease restrictions on travel between themselves, and they are expected to subsequently ease restrictions on travel to and from Japan.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
