US Warns Against Travel To Japan Ahead Of Olympics

The United States has warned its citizens against travelling to Japan over the country’s COVID-19 surge. A fresh wave of the pandemic is sweeping across the country just weeks before the Tokyo Olympics.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for Japan due to COVID-19, indicating a very high level of the pandemic in the country.

Level 4 Travel Health Notice is the highest level of alert issued by the CDC.

The federal health agency warned that in the current situation, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading” Covid variants in Japan.

“Do not travel to Japan due to COVID-19,” the U.S. Department of State said under the head ‘Japan Travel Advisory’ on its website Monday.

“There are restrictions in place affecting U.S. citizen entry into Japan,” said the latest U.S. travel advisory on the country.

Defying global concerns and public opinion in the country, the Japanese government says it will go ahead with the Olympic Games as scheduled. The international mega sports event is set to begin in the Japanese capital on July 23.

The Government of Japan has extended the national state of emergency to 9 prefectures, namely, Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Aichi, Fukuoka, Hokkaido, Okayama, and Hiroshima.

“Travel for tourism and most other short-term purposes is still not permitted, and there is no indication that this will change in the short term,” according to the U.S. Embassy in Japan. Visa-free travel is suspended for fear of new strains of the virus.

The Japanese Government continues to enforce strict travel regulations that bar most foreigners from entering the county. Foreign tourists and non-resident foreign business travelers remain prohibited from entering Japan.

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