Japan eases travel restrictions for Pakistan, UK, other countries

• Quarantine for passengers from Pakistan reduced to three days.
• COVID-19 tests will be done on arrival and the third day.
• Travel ban on Japanese residents coming from India intact.

Japan has eased quarantine restrictions for travellers from Pakistan, United Kingdom, India, and other countries, as it issued the latest travel advisory amid changing coronavirus situation.

Quarantine for passengers from the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Moscow has been reduced to three days from six, The Japan Times reported, saying that the revised restrictions would come into effect from Saturday.

"COVID-19 tests will be done on arrival and on the third day. With the change, Japan will also lift the entry ban on foreign nationals arriving from Pakistan," the publication said.

Similarly, passengers from India, the Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Zambia will no longer be covered by a 10-day mandatory quarantine in government-designated facilities.

Their stay in quarantine facilities, from Saturday, will be for six days, while they will be tested for coronavirus on arrival, third, and sixth days.

"Only those who test negative will be allowed to move to facilities of their choosing or return home for the remainder of the 14-day self-isolation period," it said.

The travel ban on Japanese residents coming from India, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka will remain in place, however, passengers will be allowed to enter the country under special circumstances.

"Dominica and Uganda have been removed from the list covered by extra quarantine measures, which means that travelers from those countries can self-isolate at home, although a ban on using public transport will still apply to them," the publication said.

Passengers from France, Israel, and Lebanon will spend the first three days of their stay in Japan in government-picked hotels.