2020 Summer Olympics: what entry to Japan is like now and how that will affect athletes arriving for the delayed Games
- The few travellers currently allowed into Japan must take multiple coronavirus tests and stay holed up in quarantine for 14 days
- The 15,400 Olympic and Paralympic athletes will face similar testing and be driven to the Athletes’ Village ‘bubble’ in sterilised vehicles
What’s it like travelling to Japan, six months ahead of the Olympics?
Almost impossible, unless you’re a Japanese national or a foreigner with resident status.
A state of emergency for a large part of the country means that even those special cases who are allowed in have to take multiple coronavirus tests and stay holed up in quarantine.
And what could the entry process be like for thousands of Olympic athletes expected to show up ahead of the July games?
Plans now call for the athletes to be tested 72 hours before they leave home; then again when they arrive, and then frequently when they are closed off in a “bubble” in the Athletes’ Village alongside Tokyo Bay.
Here’s a look at the strict entry protocols for the current handful of travellers coming into Japan, and what could happen with athletes during the Olympic Games.