Staff Reporter :
The much-awaited RT-PCR labs to conduct Covid-19 tests for the outgoing passengers will go into full-scale operation at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport from Tuesday.
Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman announced this after launching the RT-PCR labs on experimental basis at the airport on Saturday.
State Minster for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Mahbub Ali, Secretary Mokammel Hossain and Chairman of Bangladesh Tourism Corporation Hannan Mia were, among others, present.
The United Arab Emirates has imposed a condition that the passengers travelling to the UAE will have to conduct Covid-19 test
at the airport 48 hours or 6-hours before departing the country, said the CAAB Chairman.
“We have taken an initiative to launch the RT-PCR lab in the airport with coordination of the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Health and Foreign Ministries and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) conducted a test operation on Sunday,” he said.
“If the test-run goes successfully, then we will inform the airlines authorities and for this we need 48 hours and we hope those will start full-scale operation from September 28,” he added.
Twelve machines will be installed at the 6 labs in the airport. At least 3-4.5 thousand people will be able to test at these labs every day.
Rapid PCR Lab for fast testing-results and RT-PCR Lab for general testing will also be used at the labs, said Health and Family planning Minister Zahid Maleque while visiting the airport on Tuesday.
On September 6, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said PCR booths will be set up in the three international airports of Bangladesh to facilitate passengers to take Covid-19 tests four to six hours before boarding their flights.
The directive came from a cabinet meeting held with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
He said the PCR booths will be set up in the Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet international airports.
