(Update) Japan to do follow-up survey on people who have stayed in Wuhan

January 30, 2020

Tokyo--Japan's government on Thursday decided to conduct a follow-up survey on all people entering the country who have been to China's Wuhan, the epicenter of the pneumonia outbreak caused by a new coronavirus.

The decision was made at the first meeting of a task force headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, set up to prevent the spread of the virus.

Under the plan, the government will obtain information on the places of stay of such people, including foreigners, in Japan and conduct the follow-up survey, which will include medical checks.

Meanwhile, a third government-chartered flight left Tokyo International Airport at Haneda for Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, on Thursday night to bring back more Japanese nationals.

"We'll implement thorough health management, including viral tests, regardless of whether (people) display symptoms," Abe said at the task force meeting. He instructed his cabinet ministers to work as one to implement necessary measures without hesitation while putting top priority on protecting the lives and health of the Japanese people.

A total of 416 Japanese nationals returned home from Hubei on Wednesday and Thursday on flights chartered by the government.

As the number of people coming back to Japan is expected to rise, the government is considering using state-owned laboratories and commercial cargo-passenger ships, which are rented to the Defense Ministry in time of disasters, for temporary accommodations for returnees.

It is also trying to securing enough doctors. Jiji Press