Registration opens to bring back quarantined Bangladeshis from China
Bangladesh embassy in Beijing has opened a registration corner on its website in a bid to bring back the Bangladeshis quarantined in China following the coronavirus outbreak there.
The health minister, meanwhile, has said the Bangladeshis cannot be brought back home before 6 February as the China government has been maintaining tight security following the deadly virus attack at the city of Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei province.
The China government earlier enquired the Bangladesh authorities about the type of aircraft Bangladesh would lilke to send to take back its nationals.
Bangladesh has already beefed up cautionary measures to check the coronavirus setting up scanners at each international airport, seaport and land port.
The authorities concerned said special wards for the treatment of the possible coronavirus patients have already been opened at Kurmitola General Hospital and Mohakhali Infectious Diseases Hospital as part of the preemptive actions. The civil surgeons have been asked to open a separate ward at every district hospital across the country.
It has been learnt that 2,870 people returned home from China after the virus outbreak. None of them was detected with the virus though.
Asked about the matter Bangladesh ambassador to China Mahbub-Uz-Zaman told Prothom Alo over phone that the registration process for the Bangladesh nationals has begun. A registration format was sent to the Hubei authorities.
Besides, a close contact is being maintained with the Chinese foreign ministry to get updated information.
According to the China ambassador in Bangladesh Li Jiming, some 5,000 Bangladeshi students went to China for studies while 37,000 Bangladeshis travelled China in 2019.
So far 132 people died in the virus in China alone while it has already spread to over a dozen countries around the globe. The number of virus infected people has reached 4,515 till Wednesday as China sealed off 17 cities including the epicentre Wuhan.