Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says the easing of entry rules for foreigners introduced earlier this month is being cancelled and the border ban is being reinstated in order to prevent the spread of the Omicron coronavirus strain.
"We are banning the entry of foreigners from all countries starting November 30," Kishida told reporters on Monday.
On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified the new South African strain of the coronavirus, Omicron, as one of concern, since it may be more transmissible and dangerous.
Cases of the new variant have already been confirmed in multiple countries and governments rushed to suspend travel with southern African nations in order to prevent the spread of the new strain.