Japan to Allow Hotels to Refuse Guests without Masks

Tokyo, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government on Friday adopted a bill to allow hotels and "ryokan" Japanese-style inns to refuse guests who do not follow instructions for infection control, such as wearing face masks, without a good reason during epidemics.

The bill to revise the hotel business law, endorsed at the day's cabinet meeting, is aimed at allowing lodging services providers to refuse guests with suspected symptoms of COVID-19 or other infectious diseases when such illnesses are rampant. It is intended to ensure that measures to prevent infections are taken thoroughly at accommodation facilities, creating a safe and secure environment for guests.

The current hotel business law bans hotels and ryokan inns from refusing guests unless it is clear that they have infectious diseases.

The lodging industry had called for a law revision as accommodation facility operators are not allowed to refuse guests if they only have such symptoms as a fever and cough.

Under the revised law, hotels and ryokan inns will be allowed to request guests to wear face masks and check body temperatures if an infectious disease is spreading. They will be able to ask those with a fever or other symptoms to report whether they have seen a doctor and whether they have contracted any infectious disease. Accommodation facilities will be allowed to refuse those who do not follow such requests.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]