Japan wanted to barricade itself against Omicron, but maybe a little too fast and a little too hard.
The Japanese government returns on Thursday to its request to airlines, made on Wednesday, to suspend new bookings to the country throughout the month of December.
He now wants to ensure that his nationals can return to the archipelago, despite this new variant of Covid-19 which worries the authorities.
The ruling, which affected both Japanese citizens and foreign residents, will be amended to allow Japanese people to return home.
"This request caused confusion among those concerned and the Prime Minister therefore asked the Ministry of Transport to review the matter in order to take into account the requests of Japanese citizens" who want to return to the archipelago, said the spokesman. from the government, Hirokazu Matsuno.
A country relatively spared from the pandemic
Tokyo also announced on Monday the closure of its borders to all foreign visitors, just three weeks after easing certain restrictions to allow the entry of business travelers, students and foreign interns. Like many other countries in the world, it also decided on Tuesday to close its borders to all foreign nationals from ten southern African countries including South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first identified.
Japan has been relatively spared from the pandemic, with some 18,350 dead since early 2020. It has also avoided strict containment measures, unlike many other countries.
After a slow start, the national immunization campaign has gained momentum and nearly 77% of the country's population has now received two injections.
