There are no active cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) among Filipinos in Japan, an official of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo said on Monday.

“Sa kabuuan po ng pandemic since last year, more than 500 po ang naapektuhan, pero sa kabutihang palad po, this year, zero active cases na po dito (Since pandemic started last year, there were more than 500 Filipinos [infected] but fortunately, this year, there are zero active cases),” Deputy Chief of Mission Robespierre Bolivar said in a radio interview, citing latest data as of October 28.

He noted that the Filipino community is included in the free Covid-19 vaccination program of the Japanese government which already covered 71 percent of the country’s entire population.

“Wala po tayong statistics doon sa Filipinos kasi ang privacy laws po nila very strict so kung ilan sa ating mga Pilipino ang bakanuhan na, hindi natin makikita ang statistics (We won’t know the statistics showing how many Filipinos are already vaccinated because the government’s privacy laws are very strict here),” he said.

Bolivar added all Filipinos who are residents of Japan are eligible for the free vaccination program.

As of July 2021, there are 283,000 Filipinos living in Japan.

Bolivar, meanwhile, said short-term visitors or tourists are still not allowed to enter the country.

“Ang maaari lang pong pumasok ay ang mga may resident visa na po (Only those with resident visa can enter the country),” he said. (PNA)