Asian markets slipped further after the coronavirus's omicron variant was found in more countries and governments imposed travel restrictions.
The World Health Organization called omicron “highly transmissible," but it was unclear whether it is more dangerous than earlier variants.
The Nikkei 225 fell 1.6% to 28,283.92 after Japan announced it will bar entry by foreigners starting Tuesday while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong sank 0.9% to 23,852.24.
Also Monday, Japan's government reported retail sales rose 1.1% in October over the previous month. Vehicle sales fell 6.7%.
The Shanghai Composite Index lost less than 0.1% to 3,462.70.
Elsewhere:
The Kospi in Seoul shed 0.9% to 2,909.32.
Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 shed 0.5% to 7,239.80.
India's Sensex gained 0.9% to 57,599.03.
New Zealand, Singapore and Bangkok declined while Jakarta was positive.
