Japan eases restriction as it allows travel to few countries, including Australia

Japan has planned to lift restrictions on overseas travel in October. According to reports by a local news organisation Nikkei Asian Review, the government will be giving priority to 10 countries which include Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam. All COVID-19 related restrictions on domestic travel were lifted in Japan in the month of June, in a bid to revive the hard-hit economy. 

Japan eases restrictions

Japan has also issued a set of travel guidelines through a system which is divided into categories. These categories consider the potential risk and safety in relevant locales. As per September 28, there were 159 countries under level 3. The level 3 countries also included China and the United States. The level 3 mark urges Japanese citizens to avoid travel to these areas. In the case of Level 2 countries, it is advised to avoid nonessential travel. From next month onwards, Australia, Vietnam, New Zealand, Brunei, and Belgium will be included in this list. 

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Japan is also trying to negotiate with 16 countries to resume business travel. These countries include China, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Also, from October 1, foreigners will be permitted to stay in the country for more than 3 months. The COVID-19 pandemic which saw its first outbreak in a wet market in Wuhan, China last year has now spread all across the world. The virus, named COVID-19 by the World Health Organisation, has infected 33,872,977 people worldwide with the global death toll reaching 1,013,146. According to a tally by the John Hopkins University, Japan has a total number of 82,494 cases with 1,557 fatalities.

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The country began lifting lockdown restrictions in May. In the month of June, Japan ended the state of emergency which allowed citizens to return to work and bars and restaurants to reopen, however, with social distancing measures. The deadly coronavirus outbreak in Japan severely affected the hotels, resorts and areas which heavily rely on tourism. 

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