As the epidemic of the new coronavirus continues, the relaxation of immigration restrictions has begun in each country. For those who have been vaccinated, measures such as permitting entry and exempting "health monitoring after entry" are also taken. These movements are necessary to move the international flow and revitalize the economy while coexisting with the new corona epidemic. In Japan, strict immigration restrictions are taken as part of border measures, but given the widespread use of vaccination in Japan and overseas, it is time to relax the immigration restrictions. In this series, let's consider how far Japan can relax immigration restrictions.
In Japan, when mutant strains began to spread in December 2020, border measures were strengthened and strict immigration restrictions were taken. Even now, foreigners cannot enter the country except for special cases.
Japanese and foreigners entering Japan as a special case are required to submit a "negative certificate" for the new corona test. In addition, an "airport entry inspection" will be conducted, and if negative, entry will be permitted. However, immigrants from countries with frequent mutant strains (44 countries as of September 20) must stay at the facility designated by the quarantine station for 3 days and undergo "post-entry inspection". Hmm. All immigrants are required to "health monitoring" at home for 14 days after entering the country. The status of health monitoring is checked regularly, and those who do not comply will have their names published on the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare website.
◇ Overseas entry restrictions and entry conditions
Then, what kind of immigration restrictions are imposed in overseas countries? The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' overseas safety website lists the countries that have immigration restrictions for travelers from Japan, and the number is up to 70 countries. For example, Australia and New Zealand do not allow foreigners to enter the country in principle.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Overseas Safety Homepage ｜ Immigration restrictions for travelers / Japanese from Japan related to the new coronavirus, and conditions / behavior restrictions for entry
According to this list, even if many countries are able to enter, there are some entry conditions. Most countries require "submission of a negative certificate" at the time of entry, but "airport entry inspection" is common in Asian countries and rarely carried out in Europe and the United States. Rather, in Europe and the United States, the emphasis is on "post-immigration inspection." In addition, "health monitoring after entry" is carried out in many countries, and the period is about one week.
◇ Relief measures for vaccinated people overseas
In this way, many countries have immigration restrictions or immigration conditions even overseas, but recently, more and more countries have relaxed these measures by presenting vaccination certificates.
For example, in European countries, presenting an immunity passport exempts most immigration requirements. Many Asian countries offer vaccination certificates to exempt or shorten the period of "post-entry health monitoring".
Whether or not travelers from Japan are eligible for mitigation measures by presenting such an immunity pass depends on the bilateral agreement. To date, more than 30 countries have provided mitigation measures for travelers from Japan, but due to the principle of reciprocity, Japan will not be able to keep up with this move without relaxing immigration restrictions.
◇ Is it possible to do the same in Japan?
Immigration restrictions are in place to prevent the influx of new infected people from abroad into the country. In order to alleviate this in Japan, it is necessary to consider the following three points.
The first is the global epidemic situation. The epidemic of Delta strains, which started around July this year, is still expanding in some countries such as Southeast Asia, but overall it is calming down. The second is the epidemic situation in Japan. The fifth wave has finally begun to converge in September, and the cancellation of the state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas has begun to appear. The vaccination completion rate will soon reach 60%. The third is the effect of the new corona vaccine, which has caused breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals for the Delta strain, but the effect has been maintained to a certain extent. In other words, people who are vaccinated may be considered to have a lower risk of spreading the infection.
In view of the above three points, we believe that immigration restrictions can be relaxed on condition that the vaccination certificate is presented in Japan when the state of emergency is lifted. However, the countries to which the deregulation applies are those in which the epidemic has subsided to some extent, and this list should be prepared on a regular basis. With regard to the vaccination certificate, it is necessary to decide which type of vaccination is acceptable and how many months the vaccination will be valid after vaccination.
◇ Which restrictions should be relaxed?
If the restrictions are specifically relaxed, the person who presents the vaccination certificate will be allowed to enter the country. I think it is also necessary to request the submission of a "test negative certificate" in addition to the "immunity passport" at the time of entry. This is useful for detecting breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals.
I think that "inspection at the airport" does not have to be done to the person who submitted the vaccination certificate. This work is a heavy burden on the airport quarantine station, and if the number of immigrants increases in the future, it will lead to tight work. You may consider shortening the period of "health monitoring after entry". Rather, it is more efficient to instruct them to be tested for the new corona as soon as possible if they have symptoms after entering the country.
◇ Flexible response at the time of relapse
The above mitigation measures are based on the current world and Japan's epidemic situation, but if the epidemic reignites in the future, we may consider re-strengthening immigration restrictions on a case-by-case basis.
One concern for future development is the global epidemic of new vaccine-resistant mutants. Not only Japan but also other countries around the world will move to re-tighten immigration restrictions. Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated four mutant strains of concern: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta, but be wary of new mutant strains that are comparable to these.
The global economy was severely damaged by the stagnation of international flow due to the epidemic of the new corona. To bring it back to its pre-corona epidemic, vaccination certificates must be used to gradually ease immigration restrictions and restore international flow. To do that safely, you need to be careful, like hitting a stone bridge, to prevent the epidemic from rekindling.
In addition, the United States announced that it will allow entry from almost all countries by requiring the presentation of vaccination certificates from November. This measure will ease immigration for countries that were previously banned, but will strengthen immigration requirements for countries that have already been admitted, such as Japan.
Mr. Atsuro Hamada
Specially appointed professor at Tokyo Medical University Hospital Traveler Medical Center. After graduating from the Jikei University School of Medicine in 1981, studied abroad at Case Western Reserve University in the United States. After working as a lecturer in the tropical medicine department at the Jikei University School of Medicine, he became the deputy director of the Overseas Work Health Management Center in 2004. Since July 2010, he has been a professor at the Tokyo Medical University Hospital Traveler Medical Center. He has been in his current position since April 2009. He is familiar with travel medicine and has written many books on the health of overseas travelers and the history of infectious diseases. The new book is "New Corona Countermeasures Learned from the Medieval Plague that Survive the Pandemic"
Source: (Asahi Shimbun Publishing).
0 Comments :
Post a Comment