Coronavirus-affected Countries: Returnees will be quarantined: minister

 Announcing that people coming to Bangladesh from coronavirus-affected countries will be kept in compulsory quarantine, Health Minister Zahid Maleque yesterday said anyone violating this directive would have to face punishment.

"All returnees from the affected countries must be kept in compulsory quarantine. After screening them during the quarantine, they [returnees] will go home under the government management. Anyone violating the directive will be jailed or fined," he said.

Maleque informed Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Director General Professor Dr Abul Kalam Azad and officials concerned of this directive over phone and asked them to take necessary measures in this regard, said a DGHS press release.

Maleque also ordered keeping all 142 Bangladeshis who returned from Italy in compulsory quarantine at Ashkona Hajj Camp.

All the 142 Bangladeshis landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at 8:30am yesterday by a flight of Emirates Airlines.

Meanwhile, the Institute of Epidemiology, Diseases Control and Research (IEDCR) Director Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora confirmed that primarily no symptom of coronavirus was found in any of the 142 fresh Italy returnees.

"Primarily, we have checked temperature of all the 142 Italy returnees and found no corona symptom. A detailed screening is underway. We will take a decision regarding their self or institutional quarantine after that," she said.

Earlier, the Wuhan returnees were kept in quarantine at Ashkona Hajj Camp and were released after 14 days as none of them were found to be infected with the coronavirus.