314 Bangladeshis arrive from coronavirus-hit China

A charter flight of Biman Bangladesh has arrived at Dhaka airport carrying 314 Bangladeshis, including 15 children, from the coronavirus-struck Wuhan city of China. 

A Boeing 777-300ER flight landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 11:55am (Bangladesh Time), said Dhaka airport Director AHM Touhid-ul Ahsan.

Now the passengers will be taken to Hajj camp in Ashkona, where they will be quarantined for next 14 days.

The flight took off from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport at 9:32am (Wuhan Time) after immigration and screening procedure of the Bangladeshis.

However, two Bangladeshis allegedly were not allowed to get on board the Dhaka-bound plane as they had high body temperatures.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque has requested their families not to be eager to meet them immediately after their return.

The coronavirus, believed to have originated late last year in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife, has spread to Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the United States, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Australia, France, Canada and India.

World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus outbreak that has killed 259 people in China a global emergency, as cases spread to more than 18 countries.