Passenger at Tokyo Haneda International Airport – AFP
The Japanese government has asked airlines not to accept new ticket reservations for inbound flights into the country for a month due to concerns about the omicron variant, said on Wednesday (1) the Ministry of Transport.
The country confirmed on Tuesday the first detected case of the new variant and this Wednesday, just before announcing the suspension of flights, it announced a second case detected in a passenger who arrived in Tokyo.
“We ask airlines to stop accepting reservations for new inbound flights for a month, starting on December 1st,” a transport ministry source told AFP. He explained that existing reserves will not be affected.
The Japanese government tightened the already severe border measures, banning the entry of non-Japanese citizens from 10 countries in southern Africa.
It also reinforced quarantine measures for Japanese and foreign residents coming from other countries and territories after detection of the omicron.
Japanese authorities reported a second case of the variant in a passenger who arrived from Peru in November. The first, announced on Tuesday, was a man who arrived from Namibia.
Japan’s borders were virtually closed during much of the pandemic, and for a period of 2020, even residents were banned.
The measures were a crucial part of the Japanese anti-covid strategy, which did not include as severe confinements as in other parts of the world.
After a strong increase in cases in the summer (northern hemisphere, winter in Brazil), Japan registers few infections nationwide and accumulates 18,360 deaths during the entire pandemic.
According to the government, 77% of the Japanese population is vaccinated and this Wednesday, booster doses began to be applied to those who received the second injection at least eight months ago.
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