Migrant workers should be on the vaccine priority list
We would like to echo the appeal of recruiting agencies to the government to immediately facilitate the inoculation of migrant workers with the Covid-19 vaccine, as many of them are ready to resume their old jobs or start new ones. Being vaccinated will allow them to go to their job destinations abroad without having to go through an expensive quarantine period at designated hotels there.
According to a report in this daily, there are about 50,000 new and old migrant workers waiting to fly. But there are thousands of others who will also need to be vaccinated before their departure to the countries of employment. As we have already been informed, migrant workers going to Saudi Arabia (where a large number of them are headed) are required to spend around Tk 70,000 to Tk 80,000 for quarantine hotel fees in the kingdom. With airlines hiking up the ticket prices, this quarantine hotel fee is a heavy financial burden in addition to the already high cost of getting a job abroad. Even the Tk 25,000 subsidy from the government to pay the quarantine cost is not enough to relieve the financial hardship.
Hence, vaccination would be a great relief for these workers. It would also save around Tk 375 crore in quarantine costs, according to a leader of an electoral alliance of the members of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira).
We do not need to emphasise the huge contribution made by our migrant workers to our economic growth through their remittances. We are far behind in providing them with the support and recognition they deserve for their hard work and sacrifices. The least we can do is ensure that they are protected through vaccination before they go to their work destinations. It will not only save them money but also save them from the virus's deadly attack. Migrant workers should be on the priority list for Covid-19 vaccines that have already arrived in the country.
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