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Japan to bring back ban on new foreign arrivals over Omicron variant

Commuters wearing masks for protection against the coronavirus walk around Tokyo's Shibuya Station on Nov. 5, 2021. (Kyodo)

The Japanese government will bring back its blanket ban on new entries by foreigners on Tuesday (Nov. 30) amid concerns over the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday.

Kishida told reporters he decided on the measure "to avoid the worst-case scenario," adding, "It is a temporary measure until information about the Omicron variant becomes clear."

On Nov. 8, Japan eased its ban on new entries by foreigners to allow businesspeople, students and technical interns into the country on the condition their host organization agrees to take responsibility for monitoring their movement.

Japan has already suspended the exemption for people who have recently been to any of nine African countries -- Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Kishida revealed that a person who has arrived from Namibia has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and analysis to verify which variant the person is infected with is under way. He said it will take four to five days to obtain the results.

The man arrived at Narita airport from Namibia on Sunday, according to the health ministry.

In addition, Japanese citizens and Japan-based foreign residents returning from those African nations plus 14 other countries and regions will be required to spend 10 days in a government-designated facility upon their arrival, Kishida said without elaborating further on the 14 areas.

Concerns are growing over the Omicron variant, which was first reported to the World Health Organization by South Africa last week and has since been confirmed in several European countries as well as Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and Israel.

The WHO has named the strain a "variant of concern," warning it has a large number of mutations that mean it may be highly transmissible and pose an increased risk of reinfection to people who have previously caught the coronavirus.

While it is unclear whether existing vaccines are effective against the Omicron variant, Kishida said the government will carry on with its plan to begin administering booster shots later this week while looking to health experts to provide additional data.

The emergence of the variant comes as Kishida aims to restart economic activity that has been restricted by the pandemic, and could hold up plans to restart the government's "Go To Travel" program, meant to shore up the domestic tourism industry.

(Source: Kyodo News)

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