The first few weeks of 2021 had a lot of news — and a lot of new vocabulary.
Though vaccines were set to be the hot topic for the new year, we’ve seen a lot more news about 新型コロナ変異種 (shingata korona hen’ishu, new coronavirus strains). Reports claim that new variants have been found in Japan by way of the U.K. and Brazil. As a result, the government has decided to strengthen its border controls and 外国人の入国を全面停止する (gaikokujin no nyūkoku o zenmen teishi suru, suspend entry for all foreign people entering the country).
As other countries have already started ワクチン接種 (wakuchin sesshu, vaccine inoculations), people have begun to wonder when Japan will follow suit. The government is aiming to start vaccinating 医療従事者 (iryō jūjisha, medical workers) from 2月下旬 (ni-gatsu gejun, the end of February).
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