{"id":18895,"date":"2022-06-29T04:31:23","date_gmt":"2022-06-29T08:31:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/?p=18895"},"modified":"2022-06-29T04:31:23","modified_gmt":"2022-06-29T08:31:23","slug":"declassified-new-crew-rules-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/declassified-new-crew-rules-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"Declassified: New Crew Rules in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"

On June 13, crew entry rules <\/strong>were eased \u2013 under certain conditions, you no longer have to isolate<\/strong> in your hotel room. It\u2019s great news for layovers \u2013 icy cold Asahi beer and delicious gyoza await.<\/p>\n

The problem is where to find that information. The guidance online is all for passengers. So, we reached out to a local agent, who provided us with an \u2018Administrative Circular\u2019 recently issued by Japan\u2019s CAA with all the rules just for crew.<\/p>\n

But for some reason, we are not allowed to share it.<\/strong> Why?<\/em> We\u2019re not sure – it is apparently top secret. Before it becomes mission impossible and self-destructs, here is a rundown of what it contains. But you\u2019ll have to take our word for it…<\/p>\n

Blue, Yellow and Red<\/h4>\n

Japan has broken the world\u2019s countries down into three categories<\/a> \u2013 yep you guessed it, the colours above.<\/p>\n

\"\"The rules you need to follow depend on where you have been in the past fourteen days \u2013 the most restrictive country<\/strong> applies.<\/p>\n

Blue Countries:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This includes the US, Canada and much of Western Europe. If you haven\u2019t been outside the list of blue countries, you will only need to provide a Covid test that is less than 72 hours old<\/strong> \u2013 more on that in a moment.<\/p>\n

There is no need to provide proof of vaccination.<\/p>\n

Yellow Countries:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Many South American, Caribbean and Eastern European countries fall into this category.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been in one of these, you will need the same test as above with the additional requirement of being triple vaccinated<\/strong> \u2013 yep, all three jabs of an approved vaccine.<\/p>\n

Red Countries:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s only a few of these. At the time of writing, just Pakistan, Fiji, Albania and Sierra Leone .<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, if you have been in one of them, you will need to isolate<\/strong> in the hotel in addition to all the other requirements.<\/p>\n

What Covid tests are accepted?<\/h4>\n

You can view the list in full here<\/a>, which of course includes the gold standard PCR test.<\/p>\n

The biggest gotcha is that rapid antigen tests<\/strong> (the super easy ones you can do at home) are not allowed. They are what are known as \u2018qualitative\u2019 antigen tests, and Japan has said no bueno. \u2018Quantitative\u2019 antigen tests are allowed, but they are not the same thing.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a little graphic that might help you get your head around which tests are okay for entry. Some of the details are in Japanese, but effectively the ones on the left in are okay, the ones on the right with crosses are no good.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A word about vaccines too.<\/h4>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Any vaccine certificate<\/strong> must be issued by the government, or other official source. In either English or Japanese is fine.<\/p>\n

You need to have received one of the following:<\/p>\n