Japan has sharply eased entry restrictions by doubling the daily number of arrivals from ten-thousand to 20-thousand and exempting quarantine for most travelers.
Tokyo’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the daily limit on incoming arrivals has been raised to 20-thousand from Wednesday.
Testing and quarantine rules will apply differently to visitors categorized into three groups depending on the country they departed from before arriving in Japan.
Those flying in from 98 countries and regions including South Korea, the U.S., Britain and China, known as the “blue group,” are exempt from isolation regardless of vaccination status and will not be subject to a COVID-19 test at the airport.
Arrivals from 99 other countries such as Vietnam, India and Ukraine, classified as the “yellow group,” are exempt from quarantine and testing if they received a third vaccine shot. Those who do not meet this requirement must isolate at home or in a hotel for seven days. The isolation ends if they test negative after three days.
Travelers from Albania, Pakistan, Fiji and Sierra Leone, making up the “red group,” must get tested upon arrival and quarantine for a minimum of three days at a designated facility.
Everyone arriving in Japan, however, must submit a negative test result taken within 72 hours of departure.
Regulations dictating what kind of traveler is allowed to enter remain in place until June 10, when the Japanese government will being allowing the entry of tourists who are part of package tours organized by travel agencies.
Source: KBS World Radio