'Passengers must show COVID-19 negative certificate at airports from 23 July'

The government today decided to implement its earlier decision that all passengers need to show COVID-19 negative certificates, tested by the government listed authorised testing centres, at the airports before leaving the country from 23 July, reports BSS.

“As per the directives of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), all departing passengers from Bangladesh must show COVID-19 negative certificates tested by the government listed 16 testing facilities not more than 72 hours of their international flights,” said Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) in a circular.

Meanwhile, in a press release, the civil aviation and tourism ministry said all intending passengers need to show their passports and air tickets at the testing facilities while giving samples for the coronavirus test.

The government has fixed Taka 3,500 for each test at laboratories and Taka 4500 each in case of collecting samples from residences of the international air travellers.

The intending passengers must stay in home isolation after giving their samples until flight day, said the release.

The 16 government authorised COVID testing facilities are – National Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Referral Centre, Institute of Public Health, and National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine in Dhaka; Sher E Bangla Medical College Hospital, Barisal, Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Chattagram, Cox’s Bazar Medical College Hospital (IEDCR Field Laboratory), Cumilla Medical College Hospital, Narayanganj 300 Bed Hospital, Khulna Medical College Hospital, Kustia Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Bogura Medical College Hospital, Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, M Abdur Rahim Medical College Hospital, Dinajpur, Rangpur Medical College Hospital and Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital.

On 12 July, the decision was first made at a virtual inter-ministerial meeting chaired by foreign minister AK Abdul Momen in presence of health and family welfare minister Zahid Malek, expatriate welfare and overseas employment minister Imran Ahmad and state minister for foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam.

The meeting had also recommended uploading all COVID-19 negative certificates on the website of respective authorized coronavirus testing authorities.