Japan Plans To Create Center To Monitor Arrivals From States With Mutant COVID-19 -Reports

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan is planning to create a center designed to examine and monitor health indicators of people arriving from countries that have registered new strains of the coronavirus, NHK World-Japan reported on Tuesday, citing Health Minister Tamura Norihisa

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th January, 2021) The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan is planning to create a center designed to examine and monitor health indicators of people arriving from countries that have registered new strains of the coronavirus, NHK World-Japan reported on Tuesday, citing Health Minister Tamura Norihisa.

The news outlet said that the ministry had already decided to examine passengers arriving from the United Kingdom and South Africa, and the list of the countries would be enlarged.

The center will receive information on people who arrive from designated countries via the LINE free mobile application or via a telephone conversation.

Several new mutated COVID-19 strains have been reported across the globe over recent weeks. In mid-December, the UK government reported that a new variant of the disease, which is believed to be up to 70 percent more transmissible, was discovered in southeast England. Other variants have been discovered in South Africa and Brazil, raising fears over vaccine efficacy.

On January 13, Japan suspended entry for all non-resident foreign nationals amid the continuing spike in new cases. The Japanese government already declared a state of emergency in 11 of the 47 prefectures that will last through February 7.