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Just 2 months ahead of Olympics, US issues do-not-travel advisory for Japan

Team USA says it's "confident" it can safely compete in the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor

Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.

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I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.

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Corinne Reichert

May 25, 2021 5:50 a.m. PT

2 min read

tokyo-2020-olympics — The US has issued an advisory against travel to Japan.
Edited by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Japan has just been labeled a higher COVID-19 threat: On Monday, the US State Department issued a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory for the nation. Also on Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted a travel notice stating "travelers should avoid all travel to Japan."

With the Olympic Games slated to finally kick off on July 23, just two months from now, this could affect Team USA's participation. The Tokyo Olympics had been delayed from its 2020 schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic. In March, the event's organizers said the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo won't be open to spectators traveling from outside Japan.

Team USA said it's aware of the updated travel advisory, but is "confident" it can safely compete this summer.

"We feel confident that the current mitigation practices in place for athletes and staff by both the USOPC and the Tokyo Organizing Committee, coupled with the testing before travel, on arrival in Japan and during games time, will allow for safe participation of Team USA," the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in an emailed statement.

Last month, the US issued Level 4: Do Not Travel advisories for around 80% of all nations. The travel advisories were updated to reflect the CDC's COVID-19 health notices about other countries. Japan was initially left off the Level 4 warning list, but was added Monday.