The threat of community spread of the omicron variant is on Japan’s doorstep now that cases have slipped through the initial virus testing at airports and it has reached beyond those quarantining at home or a government-designated facility.
A woman in her 20s tested positive for the omicron variant while she was quarantining at her home in Tokyo after arriving from Texas on Dec. 8. She initially tested negative at Narita Airport and was allowed to self-isolate for 14 days at her home because she was not traveling from a place judged to be an omicron hot spot. But she later developed a fever and is now isolating at a health care facility, the government has said.
What’s more concerning is that she did not abide by the rules that she pledged to follow after entry — namely, to not come into contact with others during the isolation period. That led to the case of a man in his 20s who visited the woman two times last week and then tested positive for omicron on Friday, marking the 35th case of the variant in Japan.