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Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he would temporarily suspend new arrivals of all foreign visitors after November 30 to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of the CCP virus, which was first identified in South Africa.
Fumio Kishida told reporters at the office on November 29 that emergency measures had been taken to prevent the “worst scenario” in Japan.
“These are temporary and exceptional measures we are taking for safety until we have more clear information about the Omicron variants,” he said.
Japan has become the second country to impose a travel ban on all foreign tourists in response to the Omicron variety, following Israel. Fumio Kishida said that Japanese and foreigners re-entering Japan from the 14 countries where cases of the Omicron mutation were detected need to be quarantined at designated facilities.
The Prime Minister urged people to wear masks and maintain social distance until details of the new variety were revealed.
The move came after the government announced on November 26 that it would strengthen border controls for people arriving from six African countries, including South Africa, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Lesotho.
One traveler from Namibia was found to be positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, but it was still determined whether the person was infected with the Omicron variant. No, Shigeyuki Goto said in November. 29.
Goto said the sample was sent by the authorities to analyze the genome.
On November 26, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified Omicron as a “mutant of concern”. There are concerns that the mutant is more contagious and may circumvent vaccine protection. WHO said the new variant “has been detected at a faster rate than previous outbreaks, suggesting that this variant may be beneficial for growth.”
Omicron’s detection sounded a global alarm as governments around the world scrambled to impose new travel restrictions and financial markets sold out.
More countries have imposed travel restrictions on countries in southern Africa, but South Africa has said it has been punished for its scientific ability to identify variants of CCP early, making the measure unfair and economic. He accused him of potentially harming.
Meanwhile, Singapore and Malaysia have reopened their mutual borders with vaccinated travelers on November 29, after being closed for nearly two years. This left tens of thousands of people stuck on both sides. ..
Reuters contributed to this article.
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