NHK reported that Prime Minister Abe told a meeting of a GOJ taskforce dealing with COVID-19 this morning that Japan will ban travelers who have stayed in Zhejiang Province in the previous two weeks from entering the country in addition to those from Hubei Province starting on Thursday. Abe reportedly said that it is necessary for Japan to take more comprehensive and agile measures to prevent the infection from spreading further in view of the evolving situation surrounding the virus outbreak, including the increasing spread of the disease in China and the possibility of more cruise ships entering Japan in the future.