Dhaka airport sends 3 returnees with high fever to hospital

Three passengers who returned from the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia have been taken to the Kuwait-Bangladesh Friendship Government Hospital from Dhaka airport as they had high fever.

"All of them were found having high body temperature after initial screening at the airport. Later, they were rushed to the hospital," Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Director AHM Touhid-ul Ahsan said in a press briefing on Sunday.

An official at the airport's health desk said, "One passenger returned from Dubai by an Emirates flight, and another by a Malaysia Airlines flight around midnight on Saturday. The other returned by a Gulf Air flight around 9pm on Saturday".

In another development, the authority has banned the entrance of all foreigners through Bangladesh's land ports from March 22.

Earlier, to curb coronavirus spread, Bangladesh cut air links with 10 countries from Saturday midnight until March 31.

The countries are Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Turkey, Malaysia, Oman, Singapore, and India.

According to the health desk at the airport, a total of 160 passengers came from Thailand and London until 2pm on Sunday. A flight from London came with 89 passengers at 12pm and the other from Bangkok arrived with 71 passengers at 12:35pm.

"After health screening, we did not find symptoms of coronavirus among the returnees. We sent them to home-quarantine," said a health officer at the airport.

Besides, duty doctor of the airport's health centre said 2,082 people have returned from different countries from 8am Saturday until 8am Sunday.

Dr Shahriar Sazzad, health officer-in-charge at the airport, said, "The immigration authority continued marking the returnees with quarantine stamps."  

Airport Director Touhid-ul Ahsan said, "Members of the Armed Forces Division are ready at the airport to take any passenger to institutional quarantine if doctors advise so after initial screening."

"No passengers were sent to institutional quarantine in the last 24 hours from the airport," he added.

Bangladesh bans foreigners' entry through land ports

Bangladesh has restricted the entry of foreigners through all its operating land ports from March 22 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, said a notice signed by the home ministry's Senior Assistant Secretary Monira Haque on Saturday.

The ports are Benapole, Bhomra, Banglabandha, Hili, Burimari, Roumari, Darshana, Nakugaon, Tamabil, Sheola and Akhaura.

The restriction will be in effect until further notice.

Earlier on March 14, the government suspended on-arrival visas for all countries and banned flights carrying passengers from all European countries, except the United Kingdom, for two weeks to contain the spread of coronavirus.