The foreign ministry has explained the criteria for issuing a travel alert for countries hit hard by the new coronavirus COVID-19.
Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Joanne Ou said on Tuesday evaluations made by the Central Epidemic Command Center is a major factor in issuing alerts. Efforts to contain the disease in affected countries are also taken into consideration. Ou also said travel alerts issued by the CDC in the United States and the health authorities in the UK and EU are used as a major reference.
Ou’s comments came after the outbreak of the new coronavirus COVID-19 in Japan has continued to worsen.
Ou said the “grey” level travel alert the government issued for Japan has remained in place. That’s after taking Japan’s population, prevention measures, contingency plans and hygiene conditions into consideration. This alert urges those planning to visit Japan to be alert and take precautions to prevent oneself from getting infected.