Virus cases rise at Japan's airport quarantine

Jun 25, 2020 | News On Japan

Jun 25, 2020 (NHK) - The number of coronavirus cases has been rising sharply at airport quarantine among people arriving in Japan even though the epidemic is subsiding in many parts of the country.

The health ministry says 131 people were confirmed to have the coronavirus at airport quarantine stations from May 25, when a state of emergency was completely lifted in Japan, to Wednesday.

The number is about four times the figure for the month ahead of the lifting. Over 70 percent of the 131 were foreign nationals.

Experts suspect that the lifting of the state of emergency may have led to the rise.

They say another factor may be an increase in the number of people entering Japan, including those with resident status, as the virus spread in other countries.

The government plans to ease entry restrictions only for businesspeople from countries where the infection situation is calm.

Wada Koji, a public health expert and professor at International University of Health and Welfare, says that if a certain number of people enter Japan in the current situation, it could be a trigger for the virus to spread widely again.

The professor also referred to the need for wide-ranging discussions on easing restrictions while considering how much risk Japan should take.

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