hankyoreh

Torchbearer Junko Ito runs during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay on the second day of the relay in Fukushima, Japan on March 26. (Reuters/Yonhap News)

The US government has imposed a “do not travel” advisory on Japan because of the COVID-19 pandemic just two months before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.

This is a dismaying turn of events for the Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which have been pushing to hold the Games despite public concerns over the spread of COVID-19 viral variants in the country. It’s likely to increase pressure to cancel the Olympics from both inside and outside of Japan.

The US State Department elevated its online travel advisory for Japan on Monday from level three (“reconsider travel”) to level four (“do not travel”), the strictest advisory available. The first two levels on the State Department’s four-rung advisory scale are “exercise normal precautions” and “exercise increased caution.”

Reuters and other media reported that the elevated travel advisory against Japan reflected the latest COVID-19 information provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Because of the current situation in Japan even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Japan,” the new CDC guidelines state.

While the US State Department’s travel advisory doesn’t directly mention the Tokyo Olympic Games, it’s expected to have a negative impact on them.

Bloomberg described this as a “fresh blow” for Japan, which has been struggling to persuade the international community and its public to go ahead with the Olympics.

The IOC sought to settle concerns by announcing on May 19 that more than 80 percent of athletes’ village residents have been fully vaccinated, but the US government took the wind out of its sales by saying that “even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk” from viral variants.

“This could also affect the decision about whether or not to send American athletes to the Tokyo Olympics,” Kyodo News said.

Japan has declared emergencies in three major cities, including Tokyo, but that hasn’t blunted the rate of COVID-19 viral infection. Researchers found that more than 90 percent of new patients have been infected with viral variants.

“This will worsen public anxiety about holding the Tokyo Olympics,” said the Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper.

The Japanese government quickly downplayed the US’s elevated travel advisory as being “unrelated” to competing in the Olympic Games.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said during a regular press briefing Tuesday that Japan had heard from the US that the travel advisory was unrelated to sending athletes to the Olympics.

“The US’s support for the Japanese government’s plan to hold the Olympic Games also remains unchanged,” Kato said.

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said Tuesday that it was aware of the travel advisory.

“We feel confident that the current mitigation practices in place for athletes and staff [...] coupled with the testing before travel, on arrival in Japan, and during games time, will allow for safe participation of Team USA athletes this summer,” the committee said.

By Kim So-youn, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]