TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2020) The Japanese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday raised its travel advisory to Level 3 for 49 more countries and regions, including the United States, the European Union, China and South Korea, in the light of COVID-19 pandemic, which implies that all citizens must not travel to these locations.
Level 2 � a recommendation to avoid traveling there without urgent necessity � is still in place for other countries.
There are a total of four levels on the Foreign Ministry's travel advisory scale, where Level 4 means that "all Japanese residents are urged to depart immediately from the relevant country or region." Level 1 prescribes that citizens should stay alert to the security situation and take necessary precautions.
"Global infections have been increasing at a faster pace ... and we are deeply concerned for the safety of our citizens," Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday, as quoted by Kyodo news agency.
According to him, the decision to raise the travel advisory was made due to the border closures and stay-in-place orders in many other countries.
As of Tuesday morning, Japan has confirmed 2,719 COVID-19 cases, including 712 cases registered on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship earlier this year. A total of 70 people have died of the disease.
