US eases ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory for Japan ahead of Tokyo Olympics
People wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk on a street in Tokyo on June 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) — The State Department on Tuesday eased its advisory that warned U.S. citizens not to travel to Japan, just two weeks after raising the alert to the highest level of 4 as the country struggles to contain the coronavirus pandemic ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
Reflecting the latest assessment by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the department has returned Japan to level 3, indicating a destination to which Americans should “reconsider travel.”
On Monday, the CDC updated its criteria used to determine its travel health notice levels “to better differentiate countries with severe outbreak situations from countries with sustained, but controlled, COVID-19 spread.”
The CDC said it now views Japan as having a “high level of COVID-19 in the country,” rather than a “very high level.” The notice urged travelers to be fully vaccinated before heading to the Asian country.
The latest development came after the United States sent ripples across Japan when the State Department raised its travel advisory to level 4 on May 24 due to an increase in coronavirus cases, just two months before the start of the Summer Games.
The upgrade by one level at that time was also attributed to the CDC’s travel health notice, which had labeled Japan as facing a “very high level of COVID-19.”
Title: US eases ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory for Japan ahead of Tokyo Olympics
Sourced From: mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210609/p2g/00m/0na/004000c
Published Date: 06/08/21
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