The Japanese government is currently reviewing the lifting of the ‘key measures to prevent the epidemic spread’ in 18 places in the territory as scheduled on March 21, hoping to gradually return to normal life.
The COVID-19 epidemic in these 18 regions of Japan continued to slow down. As of the 10th, except for Aomori, Ibaraki, and Kumamoto, the number of newly confirmed cases in the other 15 regions decreased from the previous week. It can be seen that the outbreak of the Omicron variant strain that has been raging for several months is gradually entering the final stage.
Once the Japanese government decides to fully lift the blockade, it is expected that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hold a press conference as soon as the 16th to announce the policy.
However, due to the concern that the mainstream virus strain will be replaced from the Omicron variant to BA.2, some people believe that if the key measures are lifted before the spring break, it will lead to a rebound in the epidemic, so there are still potential risks in the full unblocking at this time.
According to reports, the UK will lift all COVID-19 entry restrictions from 4:00 a.m. UK time on March 18. Passengers entering the UK will no longer need to fill out a passenger tracking form in advance, nor will they need any virus testing before and after entry.
The UK will be one of the first major economies to lift all COVID-19 international travel restrictions, marking a new milestone for the international travel and aviation industry. The UK government will continue to monitor potential new variants of the virus and implement contingency measures quickly if needed.
