Japan to halt new entry of foreign nationals over new virus strain

An exceptionally quiet New Year’s holiday in Japan is expected this year as the government, beginning Monday, will ban foreign visitors from entering the country and suspend a domestic discount travel program. The implementation of the measures come after Tokyo recorded 708 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, a day after Japan saw a record 3,881 infections, including a high of 949 in the capital. The new measures are aimed at reducing the number of cases as quickly as possible, especially serious cases requiring hospital care. Many local governments are warning that they are running out of hospital beds for seriously ill patients and have insufficient medical personnel to deal with the surge in infections. As of Saturday, seven people who had arrived in the country from Britain were infected with a new mutant variant of the coronavirus, and amid the record highs in Tokyo and nationwide, the government announced Saturday evening that it would stop issuing visas between Monday and the end of January. The new directive means most nonresident foreign nationals will not be able to enter Japan from Monday until the end of January. There will be an exception for business travelers from 11 countries and territories, most of them in Asia, including China, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, and other nations that Japan has agreements with that have relaxed travel restrictions. Nonresident foreign nationals who had obtained visas before Monday will, in principle, be allowed into Japan. However, those who have stayed in Britain or South Africa within 14 days of applying for a visa will be barred entry.<br/>