Staff Reporter :
A total of 304 incoming passengers were sent to institutional quarantine in 24 hours-since Saturday morning-as they didn’t have Covid-19 negative certificates with them.
Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh in a circular on December 4 announced that anyone wanting to come to Bangladesh after December 5 will need Covid-19 negative certificate [test done within 72 hours prior to their flight].
CAAB came up with the strict measure to contain the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic. The regulatory authority also asked all airlines operating to and from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport not to issue boarding passes to passengers if they don’t have Covid-19 negative certificates.
Recently the rate of incoming passengers without Covid-19 negative certificates has increased.
In November alone, more than 4,000 passengers arrived without certificate.
Talking to this correspondent, Dr Abu Sayeed-working at the heath desk, HSIA-said between 8:00am Saturday and 8:00am today, more than 3,000 people came to Bangladesh by 20 flights of different airlines.
“Of the total incoming passengers, 304 didn’t have Covid-19 negative certificates. That’s why all of them were sent to institutional quarantine at the city’s Diabari,” he said.
Most of the 304 returned from different countries in the Middle East by state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines. Many of them were unaware of the obligation to bring Covid-19 negative certificate, sources at the HSIA, said.
Chief Health Officer at HSIA, Dr Shahriar Sajjad said those who will not bring the Covid-19 negative certificates must stay in institutional quarantine centre for 14 days.
