‘Chinese returnees under observation’

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday said some 35 Chinese nationals working on the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project are under observation, as they returned to the construction site after outbreak of coronavirus in China.

Workers who returned to Bangladesh from coronavirus-stricken China since January 18 are now under observation, and will not be allowed to join work before a 14-day period is over, Quader said at a press briefing at his secretariat office.

Asked whether construction work of Padma bridge will be affected due to coronavirus, the minister replied in negative.

He said around 1,000 workers have been working under the project, and 150 of them usually go on “shifting leave” at a time. Their leave does not have any impact on the construction work, Quader said.

However, an executive engineer of the project told The Daily Star on Tuesday that around 250 of about 1,100 Chinese nationals who work at the Padma bridge and related projects were on leave.

He said they asked the Chinese nationals not to go back to their workplace within two weeks from January 22.  Those in Bangladesh were asked not to visit China for now, he added.

There is apprehension that work on several mega development projects may be hampered if the situation over coronavirus does not improve soon.

Many Chinese nationals working under those projects are now home on leave to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Given the situation in China, they might not be able to return and join work on time, said officials linked to the projects.

They also said authorities of one of the projects have extended the leave of several hundred Chinese nationals by a week, and that there could be further extensions. Besides, several other project authorities were mulling similar steps, they said.