Abe: Visitors From Northern Italy To Be Banned
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says foreigners coming from northern Italy, as well as some other areas where cases of the new coronavirus are surging, will be denied entry into Japan from Wednesday.
The number of confirmed infections and deaths in Italy are now second to China. On Tuesday, Italy's government extended a lockdown from the northern part of the country to the entire nation.
Abe said at a meeting of the government's coronavirus taskforce on Tuesday that foreigners who have visited certain areas within 14 days of seeking to enter Japan will not be allowed to do so unless they have special reasons.
The areas are five regions of Italy, including Lombardy, which contains Milan, and Veneto, which is home to Venice. They also include the Republic of San Marino and eight Iranian provinces, including Isfahan.
This is the first time Japan is banning visitors from Europe in connection with the coronavirus outbreak.
Japan currently restricts entry by foreigners from China's Hubei and Zhejiang provinces, as well as parts of South Korea and Iran.
