The Japanese government has announced that it will tighten border controls for travelers from some countries including Zambia, Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan to prevent the spread of highly contagious new variants of the coronavirus.
In a set of changes to border control measures taking effect today, those arriving from such selected countries will be asked to stay in designated facilities longer and take more coronavirus tests.
Those arriving from Zambia will be newly subject to a 10-day quarantine, and the quarantine period for travelers from Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan will be extended to 10 days from six days and three days, respectively.
Travelers from the United Arab Emirates are asked to observe a six-day quarantine, up from three days.
A three-day quarantine will be newly applied to arrivals from Argentina, Belarus, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Fiji, Libya, Seychelles, Suriname, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Turkey, Venezuela, as well as the Republic of Karelia in Russia, the Russian oblasts of Saratov and Nizhny Novgorod, plus the American states of New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
A three-day quarantine is requested for travelers from Egypt, reduced from six days.
Three-day mandatory stays at designated facilities will be lifted for arrivals from Estonia, France, Luxembourg, Nigeria, and the U.S. states of Delaware, Kansas, Maine and Minnesota, as well as the Canadian province of Ontario.
Travelers from the countries and regions are still required to undergo a 14-day self-isolation after arriving in Japan, the ministry said.
