Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
As of 10 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 28
- Japanese ski jumper Ryoyu Kobayashi has tested positive for coronavirus, he revealed on his Twitter account Sunday, a day after becoming the first Japanese man to win 20 ski jumping World Cup competitions with a victory in Ruka, Finland.
- Australia confirmed its first cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant Sunday as the state of New South Wales reported two cases of the new COVID-19 strain detected in South Africa.
- A new COVID-19 strain detected in South Africa is spreading in Europe as the first cases of the highly infectious variant were confirmed Saturday in Britain, Germany and Italy, prompting many countries inside and outside the region to tighten border controls.
- Uniforms for about 28,000 volunteers at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in the summer remain unused, a recent Kyodo News survey found, after many pulled out over scheduling conflicts due to the one-year postponement of the games and fears over the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Over 60 percent of respondents to a recent online survey in Japan said they believe work-related get-togethers for drinking are "unnecessary," as the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced reliance on alcohol to deepen relationships.
As of 11 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 27
- Japan will add Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia to its list of nations subject to tighter entry rules from Sunday following the discovery of a new coronavirus variant in South Africa, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.
- The World Health Organization said Friday a new coronavirus strain detected in South Africa is a highly transmissible "variant of concern" and named it "Omicron."
- The World Trade Organization has decided to indefinitely postpone its ministerial meeting set to open next week after Switzerland tightened entry restrictions in response to the emergence of a new coronavirus variant, an official familiar with the matter said Friday.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - November 20~26
Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan
- Health ministry call center
COVID-19: 0120-565-653 (toll free)
COVID-19 Vaccines: 0120-761-770 (toll free)
-Interpreters available for English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; for Thai 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; for Vietnamese 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. - Health ministry's COVID-19 Vaccine Navigation website
https://v-sys.mhlw.go.jp/en/ - AMDA Medical Information Center's "Multilingual Consultation Service"
- Available in Simple Japanese and English, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Also available in Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese on designated weekdays. Check schedule here.
03-6233-9266 - Tokyo Metropolitan Government's COVID-19 info
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/ - Tokyo Metropolitan Government hotline
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/contacts
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (including weekends and holidays)
0570-550571
- Available via fax for those with hearing impairments
03-5388-1396 - Japan National Tourism Organization's "Guide for when you are feeling ill"
- Multilingual clinic/hospital search available in English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese
https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/mi_guide.html - JNTO's "Japan Visitor Hotline"
https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/hotline/
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese 24 hours a day
050-3816-2787
+81-50-3816-2787 (from overseas)