Japan extends entry ban to 14 more countries including Russia, Saudi Arabia

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that the government is banning 14 more countries from entry to step up border control measures to contain the spread of coronavirus. Abe said that the countries on the ban list include Russia, Peru, and Saudi Arabia as the nation is going through a month-long state of emergency ending on May 6 as per the latest report.

Speaking at the meeting of COVID-19 Response headquarters, Abe outlined the additional border control measures required to curb the spread of the coronavirus. He emphasised on the need for a sustained effort to achieve the goal of 80 per cent reduction in physical human contact.

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At an earlier meeting on April 24, Abe had emphasised the importance of providing personal protective equipment to those working at the frontline to combat the virus. He said that the government has delivered 58 million surgical masks throughout the country and provide an additional 15 million masks before the month ends.

“To date, the government has been working on increasing domestic production of PPE and other measures, with the full cooperation of the business community,” said Abe in a statement.

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State of emergency

Referring to the prolonged closure of schools and other facilities, the Japanese Prime Minister warned against the heightened risk of child abuse, domestic violence and other forms of violence. He asked ministers to work closely and regularly monitor the situations of children and their families.

Japan has reported 13,441 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 372 deaths owing to the infectious disease. As per the latest report, over three million coronavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide with over 207,000 deaths, overwhelming the health care facilities across the globe.

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(Image: Twitter / @JPN_PMO)