Japan confirms first case of Omicron variant of coronavirus
Pick up service staffs wait for passengers at an arrival hall at Narita international airport on the first day of closed borders to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus Omicron variant. - REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
TOKYO: Japan has confirmed its first case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday, citing unidentified government sources.
Japan shut its borders to foreigners on Tuesday for at least a month, among the strictest measures in the world to halt entry of Omicron, recently discovered in southern Africa and declared a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organisation.
Health Minister Shigeyuki Goto said on Monday that a traveler from Namibia had tested positive for the coronavirus at the airport, and that further tests were needed to find out if it was from the new variant.
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