【日本】22nd Meeting of the Novel Coronavirus Response Headquarters

On March 23, 2020, the Prime Minister held the 22nd meeting of the Novel Coronavirus Response Headquarters at the Diet.

At the meeting, a discussion was held on the response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,

We are seeing the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spreading globally, as the number of new cases rapidly increases in countries overseas, including in Europe and the United States. Even in the United States, the number of cases across the whole country exceeds 30,000 and infections are spreading

In response, the U.S. Department of State has raised the travel advisory worldwide to Level 4 on March 19 (local time), and requested all U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel. It has also advised all U.S. nationals currently abroad to return to the U.S. Furthermore, on March 21 (local time), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised the Travel Health Notice for five countries, including Japan, to Level 3, recommending that travelers avoid all nonessential travel, and is asking all those travelling from those countries to self-quarantine for 14 days.

In line with these major border controls measures by the U.S., we raised the Travel Advice and Warning on Infectious Diseases for the United States to Level 2 yesterday, and request Japanese citizens to avoid all non-essential travel there.

Along with this measure, in order to align our measures efforts being made overseas, including in the United States, to prevent further spread of infections worldwide, we will request individuals entering Japan from all parts of the United States, including Japanese nationals, to stay for 14 days at a place designated by the Quarantine Station Chief, and not to use public transportation. We will implement this measure from 0:00 a.m., March 26, until the end of April, for the time being.

We will continue implementing responsive border controls without hesitation, let alone domestic preventive measures, such as counter-cluster measures, as we monitor and analyse the current infection situation in other countries. I ask the relevant ministers to respond to the situation, while maintaining a strong sense of crisis.”

資料來源：Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet http://japan.kantei.go.jp/98_abe/actions/202003/_00033.html