Japan to impose strict COVID norms for Finland, US and several other countries

The Japanese government said on Monday that in the coming days, the country will have strengthened border controls for visitors from a number of countries, including the United States and Finland. This decision is taken in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus in the nation.  As per the Kyodo News, travelers from the countries like the US, Georgia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Luxembourg, and five Russian autonomous regions, including Astrakhan, will have to go through the same procedure once they arrive in Japan. Travelers from these areas would be required to stay in government-designated facilities for three days after arriving, with further virus testing required on the third day. 

According to Kyodo News, the Japanese government has kept certain rules. It states that they would reduce the 10-day quarantine period for visitors from Afghanistan to six days in approved facilities, and expose them to additional coronavirus testing on the third and sixth days after arrival. 

On the other hand, Japan announced a National emergency in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Osaka, and Okinawa Provinces on Saturday, and implemented priority measures until August 31 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to Hokkaido, Ishikawa, Kyoto, Hyogo, and Fukuoka regions. 

The Japanese Prime Minister's Office also tweeted from their official Twitter handle by saying, that they have advised people not to go out or travel for non-essential, non-urgent reasons. They asked to be as cautious and restricted as possible while returning to their hometowns over the summer and other trips. 

Further, the tweet continued to say that the country is doing whatever it is in their power to establish measures to avoid illnesses and provide vaccinations."  

Companies have been pushed to establish remote working practices with the objective of reducing commuters by 70%. According to NHK World, office workers should end their job by 8 p.m. and go home immediately. 

COVID-19 cases in Tokyo Olympics 

While talking about the COVID-19 cases in Japan, the coronavirus cases have risen dramatically. On Saturday, Tokyo has a high of 4,058 and on Tuesday, the cases of new infections are 3,709. 

Japan is hosting Olympics in Tokyo amid the surge of COVID-19. On Sunday, the Tokyo Olympics organising committee announced 18 additional Coronavirus infections. According to ANI, citing Kyodo News, 11 of the 18 instances involve contractors, five involve Olympic officials, and one involves a volunteer.  

Image Credit: ANI