Japan to ask foreign tourists to wear masks

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Japan to ask foreign tourists to wear masks

TOKYO Kyodo Japan will ask foreign tourists to wear face masks and follow other precautions against COVID 19 when they visit the country, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday.

Kishida said on Wednesday that Japan will open its borders to foreign tourists for the first time in about two years, starting from June 10 for those on package tours with guides and fixed itineraries, amid receding fears over the coronaviruses.

Kishida said at a session of the House of Representatives Budget Committee that they must follow Japanese rules of wearing face masks.

He said the government will ask tour operators to tell tourists from abroad to abide by the instructions, and persuade companies, schools and other entities to accept foreign citizens to do so.

The government has recently said that wearing face masks is not always necessary outside, and it recommends people to remove their mask when they are more than 2 meters from another person, given the heat and humidity of the coming months and the increased risk of heatstroke.

The tourism ministry plans to create guidelines on anti-virus measures for hotels and other industries before the resumption of inbound tourism, a key driver for Japan's economy before the outbreak of the epidemic.

Kishida said he will consider further easing entry restrictions by fully implementing the measures.

The initial impact of the relaxation on the economy may be limited due to the fact that forthcoming guided tour participants will be included in the numerical ceiling.

Japan has been criticized at home and abroad for its overly strict border controls. It is likely that it will take some time for the country to open its borders to individual tourists as concerns lingers over the potential resurgence of infections.

Under the current scheme, tourism arrivals will be restricted to guided tours from the blue list of 98 countries and regions with the lowest risk of infection. These include Australia, Britain, China, Thailand, South Korea and the United States.