Japan will bar entry to foreign nationals who recently travelled to Cambodia and six other countries with high numbers of Covid-19 cases in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus. The ban is effective May 21.
The six other countries are Thailand, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Saint Lucia, East Timor and Mongolia, bringing the total to 159, according to the Japan Times report on May 20.
The newspaper reported that people who had travelled to any of these countries within 14 days of arrival would not be allowed to enter Japan with the exception of permanent residents, their families and others with special circumstances.
Japanese citizens are exempted from the ban, but if they had been to any of these countries they have to quarantine for six days and have multiple tests for Covid-19.
Cambodian ambassador to Japan Ung Rachana told The Post on May 20 that he had received the same information through the media.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation spokesperson Koy Kuong said the bar on entry to Japan was an extension to existing restrictive measures that Japan had announced since January 13.
“Since January, Cambodian tourists have not been able to travel to Japan,” he said.
The Japanese embassy in Phnom Penh said they could not provide further details concerning the restrictions.
State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) spokesman Sin Chansereyvutha said direct flights from Cambodia to Japan were postponed long ago. It is the same as the ban Cambodia has placed on travellers from India, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
“After the announcement, travel agencies and the tourist sector need to understand the restrictions. Travellers cannot take a flight to Japan when the embassy denies visas. So, we don’t have to raise awareness about this issue as the foreign ministry will do it. We will follow the measures,” he said.
