Government: "Japan is not at a level to be designated as a contaminated area"

The cruise ship "Diamond Princess," where a cluster of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infections occurred, is docked at the cruise terminal in Yokohama Port, Japan. On the 16th, a citizen nearby is waving a banner that reads "Friends."

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Regarding the rapid increase in novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Japan, our government currently does not consider it sufficient to designate Japan as a contaminated area. Although dozens of patients with unidentified infection routes have emerged, it is still judged not to be at the stage of large-scale spread.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, explained at a briefing on the 16th, "So far, about 20 patients classified as having no epidemiological link within Japan have been identified," adding, "One group was exposed at a New Year's gathering related to a taxi driver, and another was a cluster outbreak where a doctor was infected at a medical institution." She further stated, "Investigations are still ongoing, and Japan is not currently considered to have widespread community transmission that would require comprehensive quarantine measures."

Currently, the areas designated as contaminated in relation to COVID-19 are China, Hong Kong, and Macau. Our quarantine authorities initially designated Wuhan City, China, where the outbreak first occurred, as a contaminated area on the 8th of last month, later expanding the designation to the entire country of China. Subsequently, Hong Kong and Macau, which have frequent exchanges with China, were also added. When an area is designated as contaminated, both domestic and foreign nationals arriving from that country must complete and submit a health status questionnaire, and quarantine procedures become more stringent, including one-on-one temperature checks at the point of entry.

As of the 15th, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 41 COVID-19 cases in Japan, of which 25 patients had traveled to China, and 16 were confirmed to have been infected either outside China or through local transmission. This figure excludes 218 patients aboard the cruise ship docked at Yokohama Port. With cases emerging across Japan, concerns about community transmission are increasing.

However, considering the ongoing shortage of personnel due to strengthened quarantine procedures targeting China, it appears difficult to further intensify quarantine measures under limited conditions. Singapore, which has also reported patients with unclear infection routes, is still in the review stage. Head Jung stated, "For arrivals from Japan, basic quarantine measures such as voluntary reporting if symptoms are present and temperature monitoring of all entrants are being conducted."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.