Japan has expanded its travel ban on foreigners coming into the country, preventing entry to those with resident status from 10 southern African nations, Reuters reports.

Two Japanese airlines ANA and JAL also said they were suspending new reservations for international flights to Japan until the end of December and NHK public television said the government was seeking a halt to all such reservations.

Japan took some of the strictest steps globally on Monday by closing its borders to non-Japanese for about a month in light of the emergence of Omicron. A day later, Japan's first Omicron case — in a Namibian diplomat — was discovered.