The government will require all visitors from China and South Korea, including Japanese nationals, to be quarantined for 14 days at home or designated facilities after arrival, in a bid to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.
The measure is part of a raft of significantly tighter entry restrictions and border controls announced by the government on Thursday, including the suspension of visas already issued to travelers from China and South Korea, which have both been hit hard by the potentially deadly virus.
Previously, the government had restricted people from certain parts of China and South Korea from entering Japan. The new steps effectively expand this restriction to the whole of both nations, by suspending the validity of the visas and other means.
The bolstered measures were announced at a meeting of the government's task force on the coronavirus. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the flow of people from China and South Korea to Japan had been continuing, and emphasized that the new steps would help to prevent the virus from spreading and "alleviate the public's worries." The new measures will start from Monday and remain in effect until the end of this month.
The suspension will invalidate single entry visas, which a traveler must apply for and acquire for each visit to Japan, and multiple entry visas, which allow a traveler to enter Japan multiple times during a set period. Travelers from China require a visa to enter Japan, and a visa waiver program for tourists from South Korea, Hong Kong and Macau will also be halted, so the new measures will likely significantly restrict the number of these visitors. The government is also expected to carefully decide on the issuance of new visas.
At present, the government does not allow entry to foreign nationals who have spent time in four regions in those two countries -- including China's Zhejiang Province and the South Korean city of Daegu -- during the two-week period prior to their visit, based on the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law. Other steps taken by the government include the distribution and collection of written questionnaires to plane passengers to ask about their physical condition. However, the government has decided that what Abe called "proactive and decisive" measures are necessary to stamp out the virus within Japan.
All Japanese and foreign nationals, except for flight crews, who have come via China and South Korea will be required to stay for 14 days at places designated by a quarantine chief and avoid using public transport. It is assumed these places will include private homes and accommodation facilities.
Moreover, the government will restrict flights from China and South Korea to landing at Narita Airport and Kansai International Airport. It also plans to call on ship operators from both countries to halt the transport of passengers to Japan.
The task force also decided to expand from Saturday the number of regions from which travelers would be refused entry to Japan. Part of South Korea's North Gyeongsang Province will be added to the list, as will Qom Province in Iran, which has been hit severely by the virus.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
