Japan's tight entry rules over Omicron variant to last into next year

Probably a good idea but Japan’s track record suggests this may rumble on beyond next year

The government initially said the rules, banning new entries by foreigners worldwide 

Isolationist Japan is back!

Early next year definition please. January 2022, or May 2022 or....

GOOD.

Best to lock Omicron out until this wave dies out.

~42,000 Americans died of 'endemic' flus in 2018. Given what we have heard so far of Onicron and its apparent sparing of massive immune related damage to the lungs per se, even with increased rates of virion production in the upper parts of the bronchial tree, rather than reporting 'rates of infection', I would prefer to see infection versus death 'ratios' reported which might give us a truer perception of Omicron's effects and, maybe, possibly, perhaps, quell at least a little of the paranoia and terror which current reports stir up in the hearts of the timid. If Omicron does spread significantly faster than Delta but creates milder, less respiratory blocking disease while blocking Delta infection, Nature may be providing that which our current knowledge of 'herd' biological process clearly cannot, an effective 'vaccination'. But, we can only hope...

Yup another useless PM.

But it's already here. And spreads 8x faster than Delta which was already contagious. It's a pointless exercise now that it's here. But Japan, gotta keep thosd foreigners out, eh!

It is very amusing to see that people here only can complain.

A few weeks and months ago people here nonstop complain about the government that their actions to prevent the spread of Covid is zero and too late, too little, not enough...

and so on...

And now the government is doing some actions, and at an early stage, because better early than later feel sorry, but still and again you guys here complain.

The time to act was when the recent variant was detected in South Africa.

Getting tired of this now. As we enter the third year of this mess, things show no signs of returning to normal.

@Monty, shame I can only like your post just the once.

Is already spreading in the US troops bases here in Japan. Just read not long ago japanese workers risk getting infected too when they are there. One is a omicron case. Now even the US troops are not allow to leave their base.

The problem is, Japanese nationals are still streaming in for the New Years holiday season and they will inevitably be bringing with them a special gift. Just like the girl who returned from Texas, didn't have to quarantine, just self-isolate, which she and her boyfriend broke as soon as she returned home, and then he got infected and spread it to others.

all this because of cold-like symptoms.

I know I sound like a broken record, but we're not going back to normal anytime soon.

A lot of people waking up to the reality of what happens when governments ask you to give up your freedoms "for just 2 weeks to flatten the curve".

We're now being ruled by both authoritarianism and cowardice.

Mostly cowardice.

~42,000 Americans died of 'endemic' flus in 2018.

Now check the number of deaths by influenza AFTER life changing measures were put in place, that will let you know how much more dangerous even Omicron is in comparison. Vaccines produce effective immunity without exposing people to the dangers of the infection, arguing that a much more dangerous thing for which the produced immunity has not even been characterized may be better is understanding things backwards.

We’re all doomed if this mentality is acceptable from a G7 country.

Time for G6?

Good news!

Fortress Japan!

Meanwhile, Japanese business people and academics are free to go off and work in foreign countries.

all this because of cold-like symptoms.

5.3 million deaths globally. Some cold, eh?

Local paper today saying 2 month old newborn (born healthy) died of covid this week. A cold does not do that.

We'd better kiss goodbye to trips to Kyoto and whatnot, they ain't opening up Japan to tourism for YEARS with a big 'S' on the end.

Even if they opened up in a limited fashion, Covid would get in with enough frequency to cause a local outbreak or three, and some people would die. Then the politicians seal it up tight for even longer- just watch.

They've got lots in the archives to study up on 1635-1853 so they remember how to do it...

I’m the first to criticise the inept political leadership in this country, but kishida got it right on closing down the country, look at the uk and how out of control omicron is. Keep the borders closed until this passes or we’ve all had the booster..

Local paper today saying 2 month old newborn (born healthy) died of covid this week. A cold does not do that.

Seasonal flu does.

@Monty

Indeed people complain or do always know better. I have been saying this also often.

It is funny how people give minus but it is true. People who complain and think better, why they are not doing politics. I guess everyone knows the answer because they are not smart and just complain.

infections and deaths will surge but only among the unvaxxed

When will people ever understand that you can get infected even you are vaccinated???

According to place of departure, quarantining Is a requirement.

However, there are exemptions and those risk spreading the virus.

Just make a 6 day hotel quarantine and the three tests that go with it mandatory.

A virus can mutate into the same variant simultaneously and independently in different parts of the world and that’s probably why the omicron cases are popping up throughout the world. If that’s the case, tightening entry rules will do nothing to prevent the spread of the virus.

People need to get vaccinated, mask, and avoid close contact with others.

Until all of that is followed [by everyone] then we will be in this never-ending-cycle of new variants, spikes, deaths, and lockdowns.

Very true but we all know it is not gonna happen.

"Follow the science?"

Omicron is practically harmless, only 1.7% hospitalized in South Africa according to Bloomberg. Foreigners aren't causing community spread or taking up hospital space. There are highly effective treatments.

. Now even the US troops are not allow to leave their base.

Not all bad news, then

I hope not…

Then the farmers and manufacturing companies will complain that they cannot get their NEW "trainees" aka cheap labor in so the govt will reconsider allowing NEW entrants for this type of visa.

People need to get vaccinated, mask, and avoid close contact with others.

Until all of that is followed [by everyone] then we will be in this never-ending-cycle of new variants, spikes, deaths, and lockdowns.

I predict when the 5 wave arrives the Government and media will say vaccinations are not working and will spin taking your freedoms away another way. For all the pro- choicers out there, you are on the correct side of history.

Getting tired of this now. As we enter the third year of this mess, things show no signs of returning to normal.

What is your definition of normal? The world never go back, only forward.

When will people ever understand that you can get infected even you are vaccinated???

Because it is easier for some people to just acquiesce and go with the flow and question nothing. In my opinion these are the most dangerous people.

Omicron is practically harmless, only 1.7% hospitalized in South Africa according to Bloomberg.

Depending on the epidemiological details a 1.7% hospitalization rate can be similar or even worse than Delta, and definetely not harmless.

There are highly effective treatments.

And they have been used during the pandemic and still millions have died, that is why other measures are still necessary, at least until more details are clear about the possible dangers.

*Because it is easier for some people to just acquiesce and go with the flow and question nothing. In my opinion these are the most dangerous people.*

100% agree!

Following and believing blindly everything what you get told, without any questioning, is irresponsible and dangerous.

MoskolloToday  08:49 am JST

I’m the first to criticise the inept political leadership in this country, but kishida got it right on closing down the country, look at the uk and how out of control omicron is. Keep the borders closed until this passes or we’ve all had the booster..

Closed borders? Take a look at all the international arrivals on the Narita, Haneda and KIX websites.

When I could see my wife? Why don't they think about atleast family united? Some sort of relaxed rules for dependent visa atleast. depressed

Can’t stop it even with boosters, so slow burn is the way to go.

Is this the same Reckless that has been pining for Vax mandates?

Well, better late than never, I guess.

Can't stop it with boosters, no. But if it keeps people out of hospital and off ventilators - then its clearly the way to go. And, lets stop with this 'its a mild virus' - 'its like a cold' - 'no one has died' old rubbish off the one quote from Angelique Coetzee almost a month ago.

The PM still thinks Omicron cases are coming from the outside. It is detected from arrivals because they are only testing asymptomatics at the airport. Asymptomatic local population is not tested.

It has been almost a month since "Omicron" was first reported, and ALL academic literature and real world data points to a very mild virus, which has lost the most relevant feature of the SARS family of virus, which is the sudden cytokine storm that happens on some individuals, with evidence of it actually having adopted genetic code from a non-SARS human coronavirus.

But the government is still in panic mode, and even though they said this was just "until there is enough information about the variant", the fact that they are ignoring all the signs of this being just like a non-SARS coronavirus, for which we do not do any of these things, seems to point out to the fact that the current administration doesn't really care about facts, but just pushing for what makes people "feel safer" even if it does nothing, other than destroy the lives of those of us who have international lives.

Replacing immunity you can get safely with immunity you can only get with the full risks of the infection makes no sense.

For healthy people, it has been proven than that natural immunity is much better than vaccine induced immunity. That’s the same for covid. And the ones who got covid and one booster shot have a better immunity than the ones with two shots.

Japanese can can come to Sydney quarantine free but I can’t go to Tokyo quarantine free. Come on it axwesker strain. We are living as normal. Yes we have cases but we need to live with the flu virus.

For healthy people, it has been proven than that natural immunity is much better than vaccine induced immunity. That’s the same for covid. And the ones who got covid and one booster shot have a better immunity than the ones with two shots.

Please cite 3 studies to support your "expert" theory.

People not in "rich countries" have a lack of awareness about coronavirus and that's part of the reason why the situation in South Korea is what it is? Is South Korea "a rich country"?

No, there is not any reasonable way to misunderstand the statement this way, this is just a very transparent way of making up strawman arguments when you are unable to defeat the ones that were actually used. Variants appear (and lower the efficacy of vaccines) because of it, and the efforts of antivaxxer groups that consider this acceptable as long as they can deceive more people into rejecting vaccines.

Again, what do you propose to lower all the different kinds of risk from COVID to replace the vaccines? nothing? then what is your point? that people should die unnecessarily so you can feel better? Try researching what vaccines can guarantee lack of infection disease, negative effects and deaths while in the middle of outbreaks? COVID vaccines are nothing special.

For healthy people, it has been proven than that natural immunity is much better than vaccine induced immunity. That’s the same for covid.

According to the scientific consensus this is false, exposing people to the full range of risk unnecessarily makes natural immunity the opposite of "better" and that is without considering that for many diseases like Measles the immunity left after the infection is actually worse than before it.

As a foreign resident who recently came back to Japan after a week in Australia (family emergency) I was shocked how easily the virus came in.

All travellers must take a pcr test 72 hours before arrival abs submit a negative test to get on the plane then another when they get to Narita a we’re told to isolate immediately but I saw passengers going to the conbini at Narita and their child coughing terribly the whole flight.

Woke up the next morning to an email from the airline saying one of the passengers on my flight got covid but only to get tested if I had symptoms and to stay at home for 2 weeks

Omicron is already there what’s the point in closing up now?!

looks like it is very mild anyway going by the stats from sth Africa!