Japanese business lobby urges quarantine exemption for inoculated travellers

Japan's largest business lobby, known as Keidanren, has urged the government to promptly consider exempting overseas arrivals who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 from quarantine and shortening the current quarantine period of 14 days to less than 10.

Masakazu Tokura, the head of the Japan Business Federation, submitted the proposals to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Monday, believing that once the ongoing resurgence was mitigated, the government should proactively take steps to restart economic and social activities, reports Xinhua news agency.

In addition, the business lobby suggested that the treatment of Covid-19 patients should not be limited to designated hospitals and clinics, and that drugstores should be allowed to sell simple antigen test kits approved by the health ministry.

Tokura said at a press conference that given over 80 per cent of the Japanese population would be fully vaccinated within the next two months, and the rate of severe cases could decrease sufficiently, Japan should refocus its efforts on striking a balance between measures curbing the spread of the Covid-19 infections and socioeconomic activities.


The government's Covid-19 advisory panel on September 3 also offered a set of proposals for measures in a high vaccination rate situation, recommending combined proof of vaccination and negative test results for people who want to travel across prefectures and attend large-scale events as well as for those wishing to visit hospital patients and nursing homes.

Although new Covid-19 infections have been decreasing in some regions, the Japanese government believed that the strain on the health system has not eased enough for reducing restrictions on business activities and was considering an extension of the restrictions in the capital Tokyo, local media reported, citing sources - IANS