It has apparently been a great ski season in Japan - but no visitors have been able to enjoy it.
And anyone wanting to visit will have to wait a little longer after the Japanese government further extend its entry ban on non-resident foreigners until the end of February.
The extension was announced by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Kyodo reported.
The ban has been in place since November 30 after the Asian nation confirmed its first case of the highly transmissible Omicron Covid-19 variant.
The Government introduced measures initially for about a month by barring entries for non-resident foreigners and requiring returning Japanese nationals and foreign residents to quarantine in Government-designated facilities.
The only exception to the blanket ban will be 87 Government-sponsored foreign students.
They will still be required to quarantine for 10 days after arrival at hotels prepared by their schools, the Japan Times reported.
Tokyo decided on the exception “considering public interest and the urgency of the matter,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a press conference.
The 87 students have less than one year left until they graduate or finish their studies and the Government decided to allow them in so they can finish their schooling, Matsuno said.
The Government has said it will ease the entry restrictions if there are “special circumstances,” including visits to those who are seriously ill or for funerals.
International flights to and from Japan have been drastically reduced.
And anyone wanting to visit will have to wait a little longer after the Japanese government further extend its entry ban on non-resident foreigners until the end of February.
The extension was announced by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Kyodo reported.
The ban has been in place since November 30 after the Asian nation confirmed its first case of the highly transmissible Omicron Covid-19 variant.
The Government introduced measures initially for about a month by barring entries for non-resident foreigners and requiring returning Japanese nationals and foreign residents to quarantine in Government-designated facilities.
The only exception to the blanket ban will be 87 Government-sponsored foreign students.
They will still be required to quarantine for 10 days after arrival at hotels prepared by their schools, the Japan Times reported.
Tokyo decided on the exception “considering public interest and the urgency of the matter,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a press conference.
The 87 students have less than one year left until they graduate or finish their studies and the Government decided to allow them in so they can finish their schooling, Matsuno said.
The Government has said it will ease the entry restrictions if there are “special circumstances,” including visits to those who are seriously ill or for funerals.
International flights to and from Japan have been drastically reduced.
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