帰国時「陰性」で隔離免除　随行少数、新型コロナ後初外遊―茂木外相訪英

　茂木敏充外相は５日、日英両国の新たな貿易協定の締結に向けた詰めの協議を行うため、羽田空港からチャーター機で訪英した。随行者を１０人以下に絞るなど、新型コロナウイルス感染予防対策を徹底。帰国時のＰＣＲ検査で「陰性」が確認されれば、茂木氏らは現在全ての入国・帰国者に求められている日本到着後２週間の自主隔離が免除される。
　新型コロナ感染症の世界的な拡大が顕著となった３月以降、閣僚の外遊は初めて。
　政府は今回の訪英を、新型コロナ下の政府要人による「対面外交」のモデルケースとしたい考え。先進７カ国首脳会議（Ｇ７サミット）が今月末にも米国で実現し、安倍晋三首相が出席した場合、適用させる方針だ。（2020/08/05-15:43）

Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will be exempt from the country's mandatory two-week quarantine upon his return from Britain if he is found negative for the novel coronavirus in a polymerase chain reaction test.
   Motegi left for Britain on a charter plane from Tokyo International Airport at Haneda on Wednesday for last-minute talks on a new trade deal between the two nations. Thorough measures to prevent coronavirus infections are being taken for the trip, including limiting the number of people accompanying the minister under 10.
   The Japanese government currently requires all people entering the country to be quarantined for two weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic.
   It is the first time for a Japanese cabinet minister to travel overseas since the virus began to spread widely across the world in March.
   The government hopes to use Motegi's visit as an example of how face-to-face diplomacy should be conducted by government leaders amid the coronavirus crisis. The same coronavirus measures will be applied to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe if he attends a summit of the Group of Seven major industrial nations that may be held in the United States late this month.