Returnee migrant workers should be quarantined
Special flights of Biman have been bringing back migrant workers to Bangladesh, mainly from the Middle East. Recently, 388 expatriate workers returned from Saudi Arabia; most of them had been in jail or detention camps in the Gulf country. These men only add to the over 14,000 migrant workers who have returned from ten countries since April. Many more will come back, as they have lost their jobs due to the pandemic. We are concerned about what kind of precautions the authorities have taken to prevent further spread of the virus, which has already gotten out of control in the country. Are these migrants being tested, quarantined and if infected, treated?
Returnees are supposed to produce medical reports certifying that they are Covid-19 negative, following which they are allowed to leave. But this does not take into account the 14 day incubation period, nor the possibility of getting infected after the test had been taken, for example, during the flight. We understand the logistical challenge of testing such a huge number of people and then making sure they quarantine. As far as we know, there are some institutional quarantine measures but they are far from being enough. The result is that most of these returnees are being asked to self quarantine when they reach their home towns or villages. Is this at all practical, especially in a scenario where these migrant workers will be self-isolating in homes where a separate sleeping area and bathroom facilities are likely to be non-existent?
We have seen what happened previously, with migrant workers from Italy and other countries going to their villages without being tested or quarantined. A mismanaged attempt to keep foreign returnees at the Hajj camp backfired, as there were no adequate facilities. This led to a fast spread of the virus in the areas they returned to.
We are worried that a similar situation is unfolding as thousands of migrant workers are coming back. There is an urgent need for institutional quarantine for the incubation period. We have seen that most of the migrants coming in previously have violated the 14 day (some experts say it should be longer) quarantine period when they were asked to self-isolate in their homes. Unless the authorities can enforce the self quarantine, such instructions are pointless.
The authorities were well aware that thousands of migrant workers will be coming in; they should have been prepared to test them and put them into institutional quarantine. Experts have already warned of the possibility of a fresh wave of infections due to the huge influx of migrant workers, many of whom could be carriers of the virus. We urge the authorities to take these warnings seriously and take immediate steps to arrange institutional quarantine with proper facilities where returnee migrant workers will be treated with compassion and respect.
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