Bangladesh suspends on-arrival visas to four countries
The IEDCR says a Bangladeshi national in Italy has been infected with the coronavirus
Bangladesh government has suspended visa-on-arrival for nationals of Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan – countries that have been badly affected by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.
Briefing the media on updates about the coronavirus situation on Wednesday, the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) confirmed that a Bangladeshi national has been infected with the coronavirus in Italy.
The infected person is a male and he is receiving treatment at his home in that country, said IEDCR Director Professor Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora.
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She said the patient's condition was fair. The IEDCR did not disclose any more details on the Bangladeshi national.
With the infection in Italy, the total of coronavirus affected Bangladeshi expatriates rises to six, and two of them have been cured. Previously, the IEDCR had confirmed that five Bangladeshis were tested positive with the virus in Singapore and another in the United Arab Emirates.
However, no Bangladeshi has been found positive with the virus infection in China or in the country.
The IEDCR director told the media that the government is not hiding any information about the coronavirus situation. "If any patient is found with positive result, the information will be disclosed immediately."
So far, the IEDCR has tested 102 suspect cases, but none of them was found infected by Covid-19.
Earlier on February 2, the government suspended visa-on-arrival for Chinese nationals for a month as part of a temporary policy following the coronavirus outbreak.
In the meantime, Kuwait's civil aviation authority on Tuesday said passengers from 10 nations, including Bangladesh, must produce certificates issued by the Kuwaiti Embassy saying they are coronavirus free.
India, Turkey, the Philippines and Egypt are also on the list, according to the Gulf News.
In a statement on Twitter, the aviation authority warned that passengers who do not provide the certificates will not be allowed into Kuwait. The procedure will be put in place from March 8.
As of March 2, Kuwait confirmed 56 cases who arrived from Iran or had been in contact with people who had been there. The Gulf nation did not report any new case on Tuesday.
