Apr 28, 2020 (Japan Times) - Japan will deny entry to foreign travelers from a further 14 countries, including Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, strengthening its border controls to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.
With the ban effective starting Wednesday, people who have been to the listed countries within two weeks of their arrival in Japan will be turned away at the border. Speaking at a meeting of the government's task force on the coronavirus response Monday, Abe also said Japan will extend its suspension of visas issued to foreign travelers to the end of May.
Japan has been scrambling to stop a rapid rise in cases of COVID-19, with the population being urged to stay at home and some businesses being asked to temporarily close in order to reduce person-to-person interactions that could spread the respiratory disease.
The other countries are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belarus, Djibouti, the Dominican Republic, Kuwait, Oman, Peru, Qatar, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Ukraine. The Foreign Ministry last week warned Japanese citizens against any trips to these countries, raising its travel alert to the second-highest level.
That brings the total number of countries and regions covered by the entry ban to 87, including China, South Korea, the United States and all of Europe.
