Japan May Exempt Some Travelers From Quarantine
The Japanese government is considering exemptions of the 14-day quarantine requirement for Japanese business travelers and foreign nationals with residence status returning from overseas trips.
Officials are planning to make a decision as early as this month in a step to relax the entry restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Exemptions will be granted under certain conditions and initially for a limited number of people.
Officials are planning to require those returning from overseas to submit activity plans in Japan, stating where they plan to visit. The returnees will also be told not to use public transport for 14 days after entry.
Japan eased the entry ban earlier this month for foreign nationals qualified for mid- and long-term stays with the condition that they observe the two-week quarantine period. It has also reopened business travel with South Korea and Singapore.
Japan currently designates 159 countries and regions at the Warning on Infectious Disease Level 3, meaning Japanese nationals should "avoid all travel" to them.
Officials are considering lowering the level for some of them to 2, or "avoid non-essential travel." They also plan to lift the entry ban for people from those countries and regions. They are hoping to revive mutual visits and shore up the economy by easing restrictions while strengthening virus tests at airports.
