Japan will tighten restrictions on traveLlers from six African countries, after the discovery of a new COVID-19 variant in South Africa, the government’s top spokesman said yesterday.

Starting today, travellers who have recently been to Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, or Zimbabwe, will be requested for a 10-day quarantine period, in a government-designated facility, upon their arrivals, Chief Cabinet Secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, announced at a press conference.

After leaving the government-designated facility, travellers will also need to spend four more days in quarantine at home, to ensure they are not infected. The previous rule allowed them to spend all 14 days at home.

The decision was made amid increasing concern over the spread of a COVID-19 variant, known as B.1.1.529, which, infectious disease experts warn, could be more contagious than previous strains, or reduce the efficacy of existing vaccines.

Matsuno said that, the Japanese government decided to designate the variant as one that requires special responses and would proactively respond, if the variant spreads.

Source: Nam News Network