Bangladeshis still coming from Europe
Even though the government has closed the door for people travelling into the country from Europe, except the UK, Bangladeshis are still coming home from those countries via London and Manchester, said officials concerned.
This increases the risk of spreading the coronavirus in the country.
Talking to this correspondent yesterday, several pilots and crew members of Biman said they learnt from passengers in their flights that Bangladeshis were coming to Dhaka from different European countries on Dhaka-London and Dhaka-Manchester flights.
A senior pilot said the cabin crew of Biman, which is operating flights on the two routes, were at risk of being infected as they were not well protected with safety gears.
An official of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport questioned the logic behind continuing air communications with the UK, China, Thailand, and Hong Kong at a time when the country's road, rail, and water communications have been suspended to contain the spread of the virus.
Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman, chairman of civil aviation authority of Bangladesh, last night said it was true that some people could enter Bangladesh from different European countries via the UK.
"We are observing the situation, and if London is locked down, we will suspend our flight operations," he added.
On March 14, the government instructed all airlines not to carry passengers to Bangladesh from any European countries, except the UK, from Monday.
The government on March 21 suspended air communications with 10 countries until March 31 as a precautionary measure to stop the spread of coronavirus in the country.
Passenger flights to and from Bangladesh with Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Turkey, Malaysia, Singapore and India would remain suspended.
Europe, especially Italy, is the new epicentre of Covid-19 after China, said the World Health Organisation.
Earlier this month, the WHO said Europe had become the new epicentre of the virus, experiencing new cases at a higher rate than anywhere else in the world. Countries such as Italy, France, Spain and Belgium are in lockdown.
Biman has suspended its flight operations to 15 out of the 17 international destinations it serves.
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