In a major change to border-control measures, Japan will from Monday allow re-entry to all returnees from six countries blacklisted over the spread of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. The six countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka — have been covered by a near-total entry ban on foreign nationals, including those who have been vaccinated and those with a valid residence status in Japan. The entry ban was imposed earlier this year as part of Japan’s quarantine measures on all foreign nationals who spent time in the six countries within 14 days prior to their intended arrival. The end of the entry ban for the six countries is part of a major revision of Japan’s quarantine policy. These measures would likely be accompanied by an entry ban for some foreign nationals, including residents of Japan.

Source: The Nation September 18, 2021 06:00 UTC