THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
February 26, 2021 at 16:20 JST
The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Fifty-five male foreign detainees and six officials in Tokyo have tested positive for COVID-19, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan announced on Feb. 25.
The 61 infection cases were confirmed at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau, where the government detains non-Japanese living in Japan without residency status.
The Minato Public Health Center in Tokyo’s Minato Ward said that it is aware of the cluster infection.
The immigration bureau there is busy responding to the situation, officials said, isolating the infected foreign detainees and moving them to dedicated areas.
As new measures to deal with the outbreak, it is limiting the time detainees can leave their rooms and is also prohibiting them from meeting visitors for the time being.
“We were told to take social distance from other roommates, but we can’t go outside,” a detained Chinese woman said over the phone. “Potentially getting infected is very scary.”
According to the bureau, on Feb. 15, four male foreign detainees and a male official tested positive at the detention center, where about 130 people are staying. After that, officials conducted more polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests on detainees and guards, and more and more tested positive.
Officials have yet to determine the routes of infection, but as of now, none of the infected patients is in a critical condition.
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