Japan to Tighten Borders on Visitors from Vietnam, Malaysia

Tokyo, June 1 (Jiji Press)--Japan will ask travelers from Vietnam and Malaysia to stay at designated facilities for six days from arrival to bolster its border controls against Indian coronavirus variants, the government said Tuesday. The measure will be in place from Friday, according to an announcement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato. Vietnam has found a variant that has the characteristics of British and Indian strains. In Malaysia, Indian variant cases are increasing. The government will designate Thailand, Germany and some U.S. states as countries or regions where Indian variants are spreading. Arrivals from the areas are required to self-quarantine at designated facilities for three days from arrival. Travelers from Afghanistan, whose coronavirus positive rates at airport quarantines are relatively high, will be asked to stay at designated facilities for 10 days from arrival. Re-entry from Afghanistan by those with residency status in Japan will be banned in principle from Thursday. Meanwhile, the government will lift on Friday its designation of Israel and Slovakia as countries where variants are spreading, as the situations in the two countries improved. After the lifting, travelers from Israel and Slovakia will be asked to stay at home, instead of designated facilities as currently required, for 14 days. "We'll continue to pay attention to the infection situations in various countries and take necessary steps flexibly to remove people's anxieties," Kato said. END