Japan expands COVID-19 travel advisory list

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) – Japan on Tuesday warned its citizens against traveling to 17 more countries due to increasing risk of coronavirus infections.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi announced a Level 3 alert -- the second highest level -- for the countries, which include Palestine, Nepal, Kenya, and Venezuela, at a news conference, Kyodo news agency reported.

The complete list includes Botswana, the Comoros, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Namibia, Paraguay, the Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, and Uzbekistan.

Tokyo has now issued Level 3 advisories for 146 countries and regions, while also barring foreign nationals to enter Japan within two weeks of their stay in 129 countries, including the US, China, and all of Europe.

“We are seeing a resurgence of infections in the United States, and it is continuing to spread in South America and Africa,” Motegi told reporters.

The latest step comes amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in Japan, with over 200 more recorded just in the capital over the past day.

A total of 237 new infections raised Tokyo’s overall count to 9,816 in Tokyo.

The capital has been excluded from Japan’s domestic tourism promotion campaign that aims to boost economic recovery in regions affected by the pandemic.

The decision is likely to cause many people to shelve plans to visit Tokyo this summer, and the government has announced it will cover the costs for any cancellations.

The COVID-19 death toll in Japan passed 1,000 on Tuesday, according to Kyodo News, while the country’s case count stood at 26,503 as of Monday night.