Japan records zero Covid deaths for 1st time in 15 months

Tokyo, Nov 8 (EFE).- Japan has recorded zero Covid-19 deaths in a 24-hour period for the first time in 15 months, as Monday saw the easing of entry restrictions for some foreign nationals.

Sunday marked the first time since Aug. 2, 2020 that there was zero deaths from the coronavirus in one day, according to national broadcaster NHK on Monday.

In April, the country reached 10,000 deaths, and it suffered its worst wave of infections over the summer.

Tokyo lifted the states of emergency that mainly affected large urban areas in October, coinciding with a drop in infections, and registered 162 new cases on Sunday, according to official data collected by Kyodo news.

On Monday, the government’s relaxation of border restrictions for foreign nationals, in place since the beginning of the pandemic, came into effect to allow the resumption of short-term business trips and long-term stays for students, foreign technical trainees and others, although tourism is till prohibited.

Over 73 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, according to official data from the beginning of the month.

According to the Ministry of Health, until Sunday, the archipelago had recorded a total of 1,724,037 cases and 18,309 deaths, after having registered its first death in February 2020. EFE

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