Mar 11 (NHK) - The Japanese government is set to deny entry to visitors from the northern area of Italy which is the latest hot spot in the coronavirus crisis.
The entry ban will cover five regions including hardest-hit Lombardy and the Republic of San Marino.
This is the first time Japan is banning visitors from Europe following the outbreak.
Entry from some parts of South Korea and Iran have been barred since last week... in addition to China's most affected provinces including Hubei.
Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases in Japan has increased to 520. The tally does not include some 700 people from the Diamond Princess cruise ship... or over a dozen who returned on chartered flights from China.
Ten people have died in Japan so far... as well as seven from the cruise ship.
The hardest-hit area is the northern prefecture of Hokkaido... where more than 110 infections have been confirmed. Dozens of cases have also been reported in other prefectures such as Aichi, Tokyo, and Osaka.
Health officials say around 350 people have recovered and been discharged from hospital.
