Published on 12:00 AM, October 13, 2020

Bangladeshis can’t return to Italy until Dec 31: Momen

Denied entry to Italy, Bangladeshi passengers of a Qatar Airways flight walk out of the capital’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 5:30am on July 10, 2020. The European country on July 9 imposed a restriction on the entry of all flights and passengers from Bangladesh till October 5 after “a significant number” of Bangladeshis on board of a special Biman flight tested positive for Covid-19 in Rome on July 6. Around 146 returnees were quarantined in Hajj Camp in the city’s Ashkona. Photo: Anisur Rahman
Staff Correspondent

Italy will not allow Bangladeshi citizens to enter the European country till December 31, due to "previous behaviour" and fear of a possible second wave of Covid-19, said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen yesterday. 

"This is no good news to me [regarding return of Bangladeshi expatriate workers in Italy]," he said, while talking to reporters at the foreign ministry office.

The foreign minister said he tried to talk with his Italian counterpart on the issue, but they did not get to converse.

According to Momen, Bangladeshi expatriates are largely responsible for this situation, as they had frequently violated quarantine rules of the Italian government.

"Our expatriates are the problem. You know that they don't abide by the law in Italy."

The minister said 48 Bangladeshis who flew to Italy in a flight were suspected to be Covid-19 positive. They were then asked to stay in mandatory quarantine for 14 days in a hotel arranged by the Italian authority, but many of them did not do so.

Then the media picked up the issue and their health ministry put pressure, Momen said.

"Therefore, Italian authorities said they won't receive any flight from Bangladesh. They deported many Bangladeshi passengers who went to Italy in two consecutive flights," he said.

Later, the foreign minister said the Italian government urged mandatory Covid-19 tests for all 30,000 Bangladeshi expatriates in a city in Rome. But many Bangladeshis left the city to avoid testing, which is very unfortunate.

"Now, many are entering Italy, as the country has started regularising the situation…But due to previous behaviour of Bangladeshis and fear of a possible second wave of Covid-19, Italian authorities are very much concerned. That's why they are not allowing us to enter," he continued.

Pointing to Italy-bound Bangladeshi migrant workers' movement, the foreign minister said it would be better if they wage movement in front of the Italian mission in Dhaka.

"If they do that, authorities concerned will send information to Italy that Bangladeshis are trying to return," Momen said.

"What can we do apart from requesting them? We cannot send the expatriates forcefully," he also said.

Meanwhile, Italy Help Centre, a platform of Italy-bound expatriate workers, yesterday said the Italian ambassador has agreed to meet with a delegation of stranded Bangladeshi workers on October 19 to talk about their return.

Hridoy Ahmed, an Italy-bound expatriate, said there are at least 15,000 stranded Bangladeshis who are waiting to return to their workplaces in Italy.

They will wage movement in front of the foreign ministry office from October 20, if the Italian ambassador does not take any effective measures, he added.

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