COVID-19: Japan begins to reopen its borders to tourists

Passengers head to a COVID-19 quarantine station for clearance following their arrival at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on June 1, 2022. (KAZUHIRO NOGI / AFP)

CANBERRA / NEW DELHI / SEOUL / SINGAPORE / HANOI / BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN / TOKYO – Japan reopened its borders to some foreign tourists for the first time in around two years on Friday as it continues to take steps to increase inbound tourism to support the economy as concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic ease.

In April, the estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan was down 95.2 percent from the same month in 2019 at 139,500 people, the government said in May

The Japanese government initially opened its borders to tourists from 98 countries and regions on guided tours, with the countries and regions deemed eligible owing to their low risk of COVID-19.

Such countries include the United States, Britain, China, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand.

Foreign visitors from this group are exempt from COVID-19 testing upon arrival in Japan and do not need to quarantine for any period of time.

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This applies to travelers even if they are unvaccinated against the virus.

The cap, however, is for 20,000 foreign visitors to be allowed into the country per day.

Towards the end of June, the government has said that it expects full-scale tourism to resume, although it remains concerned about a possible spike in infections as more foreign guests arrive from overseas.

In April, the estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan was down 95.2 percent from the same month in 2019 at 139,500 people, the government said in May.

People walk past Australia's landmark Opera House, usually packed with locals and tourists on Christmas Eve but now quiet due to COVID-19 concerns, in Sydney on Dec 24, 2020. (SAEED KHAN / AFP)

Australia

Australian doctors and infectious disease experts have called for federal and local governments to renew focus on coronavirus ahead of an expected winter surge.

The Australian Medical Association, the country's peak medical body, warned on Friday that with the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and the resurgence of influenza the winter will be "the worst it has ever been" for the health system.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet with state and territory leaders at the national cabinet on June 17 for the first time since he took office.

AMA President Omar Khorshid said it was critical that the meeting focused on coming up with a new strategy to ease the COVID-19 burden on the health system after the pandemic was largely ignored on the election campaign trail.

Brunei

Brunei reported 390 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the national tally to 151,950.

Among the new cases, 382 cases were confirmed by Antigen Rapid Test and eight cases were detected by Polymerase Chain Reaction laboratory tests performed in the past 24 hours.

As of Wednesday, 71.4 percent of Brunei's population has received three doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on May 20, 2022 shows employees of the Central Ideals Zoo disinfecting the zoo to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Pyongyang. (STR / KCNA VIA KNS / AFP)

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Friday reported 45,540 new people showing fever symptoms amid the isolated nation's first confirmed COVID-19 outbreak, state media KCNA said. 

A graffiti artist looks at a mural based on COVID-19 coronavirus safety protocols on the walls of an underpass during an ongoing weekend curfew imposed in New Delhi on Jan 16, 2022 to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
(SAJJAD HUSSAIN / AFP)

India

India's federal health ministry on Thursday wrote to the states asking them to strengthen surveillance and take pre-emptive measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 infection.

The letter was written in the backdrop of a resurgence in COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks.

"Sustained and significant decline in the number of COVID-19 cases across the country during the past four months. However, in the past two weeks, an upsurge in cases has been noticed. In the week ending 8th June, 2022, 4,207 average daily new cases were reported as compared to 2,663 average daily cases in the week ending 1st June, 2022," Rajesh Bhushan, federal health secretary said in the letter to the states.

"There has also been an increase in the weekly positivity rate from 0.63 percent (week ending June 1, 2022) to 1.12 percent (week ending June 8, 2022). In the last 24 hours, 7,240 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in the country, out of which, 81 percent cases have been reported from four states of Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi and Karnataka (in descending order of number of new cases reported)."

The ministry in the previous letters has underlined specific strategic areas of intervention for the states like testing and surveillance, clinical management, vaccination, COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and community engagement with an increased focus on evidence-based decision-making. 

A nurse stands outside Tamara Twomey hospital in Suva, Fiji, Friday, June 25, 2021. A growing coronavirus outbreak in Fiji is stretching the health system and devastating the economy. It has even prompted the government to offer jobless people tools and cash to become farmers. (AILEEN TORRES-BENNETT / AP)

Fiji

Fijians have been advised to get their booster doses as immunity obtained from COVID-19 vaccination wanes over time and the current case numbers indicate an urgency to increase the booster dose coverage.

Fiji's Ministry of Health has recorded 61 new cases of COVID-19 this week, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday.

Permanent Secretary for Health James Fong said of the 61 cases, 38 were from the central part of Fiji, 18 in the western part and five in the northern part.

Fong said 95 percent of the target population have received the first two doses of the vaccine and 30 percent of the population above the age of 18 have had a booster dose.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health reported a positive response from its school vaccination program as 90.6 percent of the eligible population above the age of 12 are fully vaccinated.

Singapore

Singapore reported 3,431 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total tally to 1,332,656.

Of the new cases, 310 cases were detected through polymerase chain reaction tests and 3,121 through antigen rapid test tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.

People wearing face masks line up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on May 20, 2021. (GAYAN SAMEERA / XINHUA)

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella said on Thursday that wearing face masks in public places is no longer a mandatory with effect from Friday.

The minister said, however, it is advisable for those suffering from respiratory diseases to keep wearing a face mask.

Those who want to continue wearing the masks can do so, the minister said.

Sri Lanka attempted to lift face mask mandate in mid-April subject to conditions, but it was reversed due to large public gatherings taking place in the country at the time. 

Vietnam

Vietnam recorded 802 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, down by 111 from Wednesday, according to its Ministry of Health.

Among the new infections, only three were imported while the rest were domestically transmitted in 45 provinces and cities.