Japan issues new travel advisory for UK, Denmark, other nations

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) – Japan on Tuesday announced fresh travel measures for several countries with mandatory three-day COVID-19 quarantine for those coming from the UK, Denmark, Kazakhstan, and Tunisia.

Katsunobu Kato, chief Cabinet secretary and top spokesman for the Japanese government, told a news conference that new measures will apply from Friday to all new entries and returnees, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

Besides, he added, the quarantine period has been extended to ten days from current six days for those coming from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives.

Meanwhile, the US asked its citizens not to travel to Japan “due to the coronavirus situation in the country.”

It updated its travel advisory on Japan to the highest on its four-tier scale – Level 4: Do Not Travel.

“Travelers should avoid all travel to Japan,” the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

According to the office of Japanese prime minister, the country has registered 718,864 coronavirus cases, including 12,312 deaths.

Meanwhile, the US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson filed to the Japanese Health Ministry for approval of its coronavirus vaccine through its Japan-based local unit – Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K.

The company said it expects to deliver the vaccine to Japan by early 2022 if the country’s health authorities approve to the vaccine.

Japan is already using Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines in its vaccination campaign which began late February.

There is no agreement between Japanese government and Johnson & Johnson yet.

Japan signed agreements with Moderna to receive 50 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine by September, 120 million doses from AstraZeneca and 194 million doses from Pfizer.