A couple takes pictures in front of Christmas-themed light decorations along a street in Marunouchi district in Tokyo on December 25, 2020. / AFP / Philip FONG
The Japanese government will ban all new entries by non-Japanese nationals through the end of January as coronavirus cases remain at record-highs and the nation confirmed its first cases of the new Covid strain.
The new restrictions will be implemented on Dec. 28., the government said in a statement.
The move comes amid mounting concerns over a new variant of the virus at a time when cases in Tokyo have reached a record. The variant, which is spreading rapidly in the U.K., is much more infectious than previous strains. Germany, Switzerland and Ireland are among the nations that have confirmed the presence of the new variant in their respective countries.
On Saturday, Japan’s capital reported a record 949 new cases, with reports saying two more people, in addition to five confrimed on Friday, were found to be infected with the new strain.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in a news conference Friday that the country would work on preventive measures at borders while keeping an eye on new developments to keep the mutated virus at bay.
For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com
