Moscow
The Japanese authorities are planning to allow foreigners to attend the 2021 Tokyo Olympics without a mandatory coronavirus vaccination or quarantine, if visitors submit negative COVID-19 tests and agree to use a contact tracking application, media reported on Wednesday.
According to the Nikkei news outlet, the Japanese government will also not be restricting tourists from using public transport systems. The media outlet did not name the source of the information. Under the current restrictions imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, foreign travelers are required to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival in Japan and download an application enabling contacts to be traced.
The global health crisis prompted Japan to reschedule the Olympics, originally set to take place in Tokyo in July and August, to 2021. In September, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that Japan was determined to host the Olympics next year.
According to the Tokyo Olympics Committee, nearly 1 million tickets for competitions have been sold to foreigners and about 4.5 million tickets have been sold in Japan.—AP
