By GO TAKAHASHI/ Staff Writer
May 31, 2022 at 18:37 JST
Members of a travel agency from the United States arrive at Narita Airport on a test tour on May 24. (The Asahi Shimbun)
A traveler from Thailand on a trial group visit in Japan tested positive for the novel coronavirus, resulting in the cancellation of that tour, the Japan Tourism Agency said May 30.
The three other Thais in the group have been isolated at an accommodation facility and a hotel in Oita Prefecture. They have tested negative for the virus, the agency said.
The government has allowed small group tours from four countries to enter Japan on a trial basis since late May to prepare for the gradual reopening of its border to foreign tourists from June 10.
This is the first confirmed infection among the 50 people in 15 groups from Thailand, the United States, Australia and Singapore.
In the group from Thailand, one tourist complained of a sore throat on May 30 and tested positive after an antigen test, according to the agency and Oita Prefecture.
The group was scheduled to be in Japan for five days and four nights.
The four Thai participants landed at Haneda Airport in Tokyo and took a connecting flight to Fukuoka Airport on May 27. They went sightseeing in Fukuoka and stayed in Yufuin and Beppu in Oita Prefecture.
They traveled by car and were accompanied by a tour conductor from a travel agency.
They were scheduled to stay in Fukuoka Prefecture on May 30.
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