IMPORTANT REQUEST

Earth Celebration 2022 is approaching quickly and we are so happy to hear how many people are looking forward to joining us at this year’s festival.
We are preparing to welcome people back to EC in person for the first time in three years with strict COVID-19 countermeasures in place, but we are aware that COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise throughout Japan. Sado is a remote island with very limited medical resources, which cannot handle an influx of non-resident COVID-19 cases. To prevent overwhelming demand on Sado Island’s health system, we kindly ask that everyone traveling to Sado Island to attend Earth Celebration gets a PCR test or RAT beforehand. Please help us reduce the spread of COVID-19 on Sado Island and at EC 2022 as much as possible by following the three steps listed below.

Please get a PCR test or take a RAT before you travel to Sado Island. If you get a test at a free testing center in your area, please make sure the certificate covers the date that you will travel to Sado Island.

On the day you plan to travel to Sado Island, please take your temperature and fill in the EC 2022 Pre-Departure Test Result and Health Declaration Form (online or on paper). There will be a EC 2022 Check-in Desk at Niigata Port and Naoetsu Port from Aug. 18 (Thu)–21 (Sun). Please visit the desk before boarding the ferry, where staff will check your Declaration Form. To save time at the port, please submit the form online earlier that day if possible. You can download and print the form if you prefer.

▶ [ONLINE FORM] EC 2022 Pre-Travel COVID-19 Test Result and Health Declaration Form
▶ [PDF VERSION] EC 2022 Pre-Departure Test Result and Health Declaration Form

At least one week before you travel to Sado Island, please install and launch one or both of the following tracing apps:
1. COVID-19 Contact Confirming Application (COCOA) - Japanese/English
2. Niigata COVID-19 Notification System (LINE). - Japanese only
Using both of these apps together is more effective than using one alone.
When you submit your form at the EC 2022 Check-in Desk, staff will check that you have at least one COVID-19 tracing app installed and working.

※If you become a close contact of a COVID-19 case within 7 days of traveling to Sado Island, even if you test negative for COVID-19, please refrain from traveling to Sado Island and attending any EC events.

ーEC 2022 Check-in Desk Operating Hoursー
◉ Niigata Port
Aug. 18 (Thu) 9:00–19:30 | Aug. 19 (Fri)–20 (Sat) 5:00–19:30
Aug. 21 (Sun) 5:00–14:30
◉ Naoetsu Port
Aug. 18 (Thu) 12:50 | Aug. 19 (Fri)–21 (Sun) 7:55–13:50

If you are found to have a fever or other COVID-19 symptoms during your temperature check before boarding the Sado Kisen ferry, you will need to contact the Niigata Prefecture Multilingual COVID-19 Hotline (Tel. 025-256-8573) for immediate testing and advice. If you test positive for COVID-19, you will need to stay in Niigata for up to 10 days as you will not be allowed to travel home while infectious.
If you test positive for COVID-19 while you are on Sado Island, you will need to stay on Sado Island for up to 10 days due to travel restrictions following a positive test result. Please be sure to get a test before you travel to Sado to avoid being stranded on the island.

※The information above is current as of Aug. 10, 2022, and it is subject to change. Please check the news section on the EC website for updates.

Thank you in advance for helping us keep COVID-19 numbers down on Sado Island by testing before you visit and staying home if you are unwell. If you have any questions, please contact the Earth Celebration Committee.