By AKIYOSHI ABE/ Staff Writer
April 28, 2023 at 17:30 JST
Travelers at international check-in counters at Kansai International Airport on Oct. 14, 2022 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Japan will lift its border controls for COVID-19 for all travelers on April 29, waiving the required proof of a negative test and vaccine certificate, the government said April 28.
The government has required people arriving on direct flights from the Chinese mainland to take PCR tests upon arrival in Japan, but that rule will be abolished as well.
The health ministry on April 27 formally decided to downgrade the severity category of COVID-19 and treat it the same way as seasonal influenza starting on May 8.
Therefore, the government decided to move up the schedule for the eased border control measures just in time for the Golden Week holidays.
The government, however, will still require travelers who show symptoms of COVID-19 to take a test upon arrival until May 7, as well as maintain facilities to accommodate those who test positive.
On May 8, the government will start a system called “infectious diseases genome surveillance” to monitor possible invasions of variant strains.
It will analyze specimens collected from those who have symptoms, such as high fever and coughing, upon arrival.
The government also decided to abolish its decision-making body on COVID-related measures on May 8.
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