Japan to Halt Visa-Free Entry for Mexico on Swine Flu

[Coventina]

Source: Bloomberg

April 28 (Bloomberg) -- Japan will suspend visa-free entry for Mexican nationals and advise its own citizens to defer trips to the Latin American nation, the center of a global swine-flu outbreak.

Mexicans will have to provide a doctor’s note and fill in a health form to obtain a visa, Foreign Ministry official Kazuhiko Ono said by telephone in Tokyo today. Japan’s consulates in Mexico may only accept applications by mail to avoid physical contact, Ono said.

Japan’s measures to prevent infection follow the World Health Organization raising the alarm on swine flu yesterday to level 4 from 3, saying the disease is no longer containable. It is the highest level since the warning system was adopted in 2005.

A Japanese government taskforce formed by Prime Minister Taro Aso met today to discuss the outbreak. Japan has so far reported no cases.



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