Japan bans entry of foreign visitors as omicron spreads

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TOKYO – As cases of a caller coronavirus variant are confirmed astir the world, Japan announced Monday that it volition suspend introduction of each overseas visitors, joining an expanding fig of countries that are tightening their borders arsenic fearfulness spreads of yet different hold of pandemic suffering.

Japan, which has yet to observe immoderate cases of the precocious identified omicron variant, reimposed borderline controls that it eased earlier this period for short-term concern visitors, overseas students and workers.

Despite the planetary worry, however, scientists cautioned that it's inactive unclear whether omicron is much unsafe than different versions of a microorganism that has killed much than 5 cardinal people. Some countries are continuing with erstwhile plans to loosen restrictions, with signs of reopening successful Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand.

“We are taking the measurement arsenic an exigency precaution to forestall a worst-case script successful Japan,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said of the measurement that begins Tuesday. Japan has kept its borderline closed to overseas tourists from each nations.

Kishida urged radical to proceed wearing masks and pursuing different basal anti-virus measures until further details of the caller omicron variant are known.

Kishida, whose predecessor mislaid his occupation successful portion due to the fact that of disappointment implicit his handling of the virus, was not unsocial successful choosing an assertive attack until details of what omicron tin bash emerge.

Israel decided to barroom introduction to foreigners, and Morocco said it would suspend each incoming flights for 2 weeks starting Monday — among the astir drastic of the increasing raft of question curbs being imposed by nations astir the satellite arsenic they scrambled to dilatory the variant’s spread. Scientists successful respective places — from Hong Kong to Europe to North America — confirmed its presence. The Netherlands reported 13 omicron cases connected Sunday, and Canada recovered two.

In Malaysia, however, officials went up with the partial reopening of a span connecting it to the land city-state of Singapore. And New Zealand announced it volition proceed plans to reopen internally aft months of shutdown, portion besides restricting question from African nations.

The World Health Organization, noting that the variant has already been detected successful galore countries and that closing borders often has a constricted effect, called for frontiers to stay open.

The variant was identified days agone by researchers successful South Africa, and overmuch astir it is inactive unclear, including whether it is much contagious, much apt to origin superior unwellness oregon much capable to evade the extortion of vaccines.

Health officials successful Australia's Northern Territory announced that the authorities confirmed its archetypal lawsuit of omicron connected Monday, a South African antheral who flew into Darwin past Thursday. Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said the premier curate is convening the National Security Committee to reappraisal actions that could beryllium taken implicit omicron.

In New South Wales, Premier Dominic Perrottet said Monday determination could beryllium a 3rd omicron lawsuit successful his state. Health authorities determination announced Sunday that 2 travelers returning from South Africa had tested positive. They were asymptomatic and afloat vaccinated. Arrivals from 9 African countries are present required to quarantine successful a edifice upon arrival.

New Zealand has restricted question from 9 confederate African countries successful effect to the omicron threat, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she didn’t expect immoderate further restrictions.

And omicron hasn’t changed New Zealand’s plans to easiness restrictions successful Auckland and determination the federation into a new, much unfastened signifier of its pandemic response, Ardern said Monday. Bars, restaurants and gyms successful Auckland tin reopen from precocious Thursday, ending a coronavirus lockdown that began successful August.

“We’ve travel done the past 2 years of COVID successful amended signifier than astir anyplace successful the world,” Ardern said, pointing to debased decease rates, a increasing system and precocious vaccination rates.

Malaysians moving successful Singapore held joyful reunions with loved ones aft returning to their homeland pursuing the partial reopening of a onshore borderline that was shuttered for astir 2 years due to the fact that of the pandemic.

Buses ferried afloat vaccinated passengers crossed the Causeway Bridge that connects the land of Singapore with the Malaysian peninsula. Strict measures included pre-departure and on-arrival COVID-19 tests.

Malaysia’s wellness curate tweeted that a COVID-19 lawsuit was detected during a screening, but didn’t elaborate. The causeway was 1 of the world’s busiest onshore borders earlier the pandemic struck. Air question besides reopened with less restrictions, allowing anyone who is afloat vaccinated to question quarantine-free betwixt the 2 countries.

Taiwan, which already has strict borderline introduction controls, said it’s not readying to further tighten its COVID-19 borderline policies to support against the omicron variant.

Taiwan requires a two-week quarantine connected arrival. It besides has restricted the issuing of visas and presently does not let successful foreigners, but those with residency permits and those who person peculiar circumstances.

Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said officials are reserving rooms successful authorities facilities for travelers from countries with reported omicron cases. The Central Epidemic Command Center listed six countries arsenic precocious risk: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe.

Taiwan is bracing for a surge of visitors up of the lunar caller year, and has allowed those returning to implicit the two-week quarantine partially astatine home. However, anyone arriving is inactive required to instrumentality to the full 14-day quarantine docket and look fines if they interruption quarantine.

North Korea, which claims nary microorganism cases and which has taken among the world’s harshest anti-virus measures, says it’s making all-out efforts to forestall omicron from entering the country. Many question its assertion of being coronavirus-free. Since the commencement of the pandemic, North Korea has sealed disconnected its planetary borders and jetted retired diplomats.

Dr. Francis Collins, manager of the National Institutes of Health successful the United States, meanwhile, said nary information arsenic yet suggest the caller variant causes much superior unwellness than erstwhile COVID-19 variants.

“I bash deliberation it’s much contagious erstwhile you look astatine however rapidly it dispersed done aggregate districts successful South Africa. It has the earmarks truthful of being peculiarly apt to dispersed from 1 idiosyncratic to another. … What we don’t cognize is whether it tin vie with delta,” Collins said connected CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Collins echoed respective experts successful saying the quality should marque everyone redouble their efforts to usage the tools the satellite already has, including vaccinations, booster shots and measures specified arsenic mask-wearing.

The U.S. is banning question from South Africa and 7 different confederate African countries starting Monday. “It’s going to springiness america a play of clip to heighten our preparedness,” the United States’ apical infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said of the prohibition connected ABC’s “This Week.”

Fauci says it volition instrumentality astir 2 much weeks to person much definitive accusation connected the transmissibility, severity and different characteristics of omicron, according to a connection from the White House.

South Africa’s authorities responded angrily to the question bans, which it said are “akin to punishing South Africa for its precocious genomic sequencing and the quality to observe caller variants quicker.”

David Hui, a respiratory medicine adept and authorities advisor connected the pandemic successful Hong Kong, said the 2 radical who tested affirmative determination for the omicron variant had received the Pfizer vaccine and exhibited precise mild symptoms, specified arsenic a sore throat.

“Vaccines should enactment but determination would beryllium immoderate simplification successful effectiveness,” helium said.

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Associated Press journalists from astir the satellite contributed to this report.

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