Coronavirus Update (Updated 04/06)

This page was last updated: 10:30pm MST 04/05/20

Japan has suspended all international travel to Japan with an exception for Japanese residence who have to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. At this time, the Japanese Government has not set an end date for this suspension, however we are closely monitoring this and will address tours in a rolling window during the travel suspension.

Current Situation in Japan

We have been following the global situation closely and will continue to gather information and share it on this platform as we are informed. We are gathering information from both the WHO (World Health Organisation) and WorldoMeter which is and indpendant company of developers, researchers, and volunteers  who do live counting internationally. We have found their numbers to update much more frequently than on the WHO website.

World Numbers

Total Cases:

1,274,022

Deaths:

69,468

Recoveries:

264,807

Cases in Japan

3,654 cases confirmed

575 recovered

56 deaths

2,994 active cases

69 critical cases

There have been new cases daily but with a population of 126,601,212, thats .002% of the population that has been affected by the virus. Thats 29 people per 1 Million. America currently has 1,018cases per 1 million people. The risk of transmission in Japan is still quite low. 

The increase of new reported cases could possibly be due to heightened awareness. In some instances, the symptoms of the virus are relatively mild and are similar to a bad cold. In the beginning, there could have been more people with the virus, but they didn’t get tested. Now, because of the heightened awareness, more people are getting tested.

In Japan are calling spots with numerous reported cases “clusters”. The live music club in Osaka is a cluster, and about 80 to 90% of the cases in Osaka came from that club. They have identified two clusters in Nagoya: a sports club and some city government office. Once again, about 80 to 90% of the cases came from these two spots. To combat this, there is currently a ban on gatherings larger than 50 people. 

 As numbers begin to slow, two schools in Toyama prefecture re-opened which is very encouraging news that the strict precaustions Japan has been taking, are working.

Click here to view the full updated report from the WHO for all countries, with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases

Click here for for easy graphs and statistics related to coronavirus

United States Travel Advisory

As our company is based out of the United States and the majority of our tour members are from there we have chosen to follow their travel advisories. As of February 22nd the travel advisory level for Japan went from a Level 1 to a level 2. This means that people should exercise increased caution when visiting Japan. And older adults and those people with chronic health conditions should reconsider non-essential travel. To put that in perspective, the Netherlands are at a level 2 due to Terrorism, Italy is at a Level 3 due to the virus and China is currently at level 4.

The United States suspended travel from most European countries to America but Japan continues to Stay at a Level 2 and is not affected by the suspension

The global health advisory is at a level 4 for international travel.

Travel with Confidence Temporary Policy

Please note that these are additional options extended for a fixed period to our clients and in no way removes any protections or options available in our original arrangements.

Due to the ever changing situation surrounding travel and COVID-19 we have implemented the following policy. For tours booked through June 30th, 2020, you have the option to cancel for future travel credit at any point up to 15 days prior to your departure day.

The future travel credit issued will be for the entire dollar amount (or equivalent alternative currency) paid. If you select a new tour with a cost that exceeds your travel credit, you will be responsible for paying the difference. Alternatively, if you select a new tour with a cost that is lower than your travel credit, we will issue you a check payment refund for the difference.

Final payments are still due on the set due date, unless you chose to use the travel with confidence policy and we issue you a travel credit prior to your final payment due date.

For tours set to depart after June 30th, 2020- we are waiving the $50 per person change fee if you would like to change to a different tour at this point. All funds paid up to the point of change will become a travel credit for use on a future tour (including deposit or other payments).

If we have purchased insurance for you, your travel credit must be used within one year of your original travel dates in order for your insurance to be valid (I.E. if you were set to depart on March 21, 2020, you must depart by March 21, 2021). If you choose to travel after the 1 year mark, you will be responsible for purchasing new insurance or traveling without insurance.

All travel credits must be used by the end of 2021 (December 31, 2021).

This temporary policy is set to expire June 30th, 2020, at which time we will readdress our policies.

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend taking these steps while traveling in Japan:

• Avoid contact with sick people.
• Discuss travel to Japan with your healthcare provider. Older adults and travelers with underlying health issues may be at risk for more severe disease.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands
• Clean your hands often by washing them with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at 60%–95% alcohol. Soap and water should be used if hands are visibly dirty.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
• Review the Crime and Safety Report for Japan.
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist

What happens if the travel advisory changes?

If the travel advisory changes to a level 3, we will inform you immediately with our amended terms and conditions.