Passengers in the departure lobby of Haneda Airport in Tokyo on December 29, 2022. , Photo Credit: AP
Japan began requiring COVID-19 tests for all travelers arriving from China on December 30 as an emergency measure against rising infections there and a record number of cases in Japan and at home. Death was being faced.
Japan reported a record 420 new coronavirus deaths on December 29, a day after reaching an earlier one-day record of 415 deaths, according to the health ministry.
The number is higher than the daily deaths at the peak of the first wave in August, when they exceeded 300. Experts say the reason for the latest increase is unclear but may be linked to deaths from worsening chronic diseases in elderly patients.
Japan tightened its border measures on December 30, making quarantines already held on entrants suspected of COVID-19 mandatory for all people arriving from mainland China. Those testing positive will be quarantined for up to seven days at designated facilities and their samples will be used for genome analysis.
“The measures began ahead of the New Year holidays marked by travel and parties. Government officials said direct flights between China and Japan would be limited to four major Japanese airports for now.
Japan earlier this year stopped requiring COVID-19 tests for entrants who had had at least three shots – after closing its borders to foreign tourists for nearly two years. Part of the precautionary measures. This year’s holiday season is the first without virus restrictions other than mask-wearing and testing recommendations. The country is now reporting around 200,000 known daily cases.
At a meeting earlier this week, experts cautioned that the rapid spread of influenza this winter also has the potential to put a strain on medical systems.
China recently reversed its anti-virus controls that isolated the country for nearly three years and this week announced plans to re-issuance passports and visas for overseas visits. This could send many Chinese abroad for the Lunar New Year holiday in January, raising concerns about the possible spread of the virus.
India, Italy, South Korea and Taiwan have also responded to the Chinese wave of infections by requiring virus tests for visitors to China. The United States said on Wednesday it would require testing of all travelers from China starting January 5.
China stopped issuing visas to foreigners and passports to its own people in early 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.