Omicron Variant Confirmed in Japan for 1st Time

Tokyo, Nov. 30 (Jiji Press)--The omicron coronavirus variant has been confirmed in Japan for the first time, the health ministry said Tuesday. The strain was detected in a Namibian diplomat in his 30s who arrived at Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, from the southern African nation via a third country on Sunday. The diplomat was asymptomatic upon arrival, but later developed a fever. He is being quarantined in a medical facility. Omicron was detected in a genome analysis conducted by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. He had been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by July. Two family members who were with him tested negative for the virus. The Japanese government decided to treat all 70 people on the same flight with the diplomat as close contacts. They all tested negative, but one of them complained of a fever. They will be asked to monitor their health conditions using a smartphone app, and their names might be disclosed if they refuse to comply. At a press conference, NIID chief Takaji Wakita, while noting that there is no enough knowledge about the omicron variant, called on people to continue with basic infection prevention measures. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged officials to make every effort to prevent the spread of the variant in Japan. He ordered genome analysis to be conducted without exception when someone tests positive for the virus at airports. Starting on Tuesday, Japan banned new entries of foreigners arriving from anywhere in the world, with exceptions allowed for humanitarian circumstances. The government plans to narrow the exceptions, sources familiar with the matter said. Currently, people returning to Japan from 23 countries and regions where omicron is feared to have spread are required to be quarantined at designated facilities. The government also plans to expand the list. END