Japan to ban entry from all countries from Dec. 28, 2020 to curb new Covid-19 strain

Singaporeans' dreams dashed repeatedly.

Sumita Thiagarajan | December 27, 2020, 12:19 AM

In a bid to stop the spread of a new strain of Covid-19 that is more transmissible, Japan will be temporarily suspending the entry of non-resident foreign nationals into the country, reported Japan Times.

This precautionary move will be in effect from Dec. 28, 2020 till the end of January 2021.

According to Nikkei Asia, Japanese nationals and resident foreign nationals will be permitted entry into the country.

New strain detected in many countries

Nikkei Asia reported that the government announced this on Saturday (Dec. 26), after the new strain of Covid-19, which was first detected in the U.K., was also detected in Italy, Denmark, Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands.

The ban was announced after seven cases with the new strain was detected in the country over two days, Japan Times noted.

The variant is reportedly 70 per cent more transmissible than the previously dominant strain in the U.K.

As of Dec. 26, Tokyo reported a record high of 949 new Covid-19 cases.

Across the country, Japan confirmed 3,877 coronavirus cases on Dec. 26, which is also an all-time high, reported Japan Times.

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