Japan To Test Namibia Arrival With Positive COVID-19 Test For Omicron Infection - Reports

Faizan Hashmi Published November 29, 2021 | 02:16 PM

A passenger with a positive COVID-19 test who arrived in Japan from Namibia will be examined to determine if he has been infected with the new Omicron variant, Japanese media reported on Monday

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th November, 2021) A passenger with a positive COVID-19 test who arrived in Japan from Namibia will be examined to determine if he has been infected with the new Omicron variant, Japanese media reported on Monday.

The passenger arrived on Sunday, and the examination will take four to five days, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was cited as saying by the Kyodo news agency.

Concerned by the spread of the new virus strain, Japan reimposed its blanket ban on all foreign arrivals starting from Tuesday and reinstated the state-arranged quarantine upon arrival for nationals and residents.

The World Health Organization recognized the new strain as one of concern this past Friday, giving it a Greek alphabet letter designation of Omicron. Cases of infection have since been detected in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, in addition to southern African countries where it is believed to have originated.