Japan to ask foreign tourists to wear masks, take out insurance

TOKYO. KAZINFORM - The government said Tuesday it will ask foreign tourists to wear face masks and take out insurance to cover medical expenses in the event they contract COVID-19 as Japan restarts accepting visitors in stages later this week, Kyodo reports.

The transport ministry has compiled guidelines ahead of Friday's resumption of accepting arrivals for the purpose of tourism. Entry will be initially restricted to guided tours from 98 countries and regions presenting the lowest risk of infection, including the United States, Britain, China, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand.

Tour participants will not be penalized if they fail to follow the guidelines but will be asked to comply before joining tours.

Under the guidelines, travel agencies will transport tour participants found to be infected with the novel coronavirus to medical institutions and support them until they leave Japan.

The agencies will keep records of the tours so that if participants are found to be infected they can quickly identify close contacts who need to be isolated.

Ahead of the resumption of tourist travel, Japan has conducted test tours for inbound travelers from the United States, Australia, Singapore and Thailand. The Thai group's tour was suspended after a participant tested positive for the virus.