All international passengers from Bangladesh will have to show COVID-19 negative certificates from 16 institutes, recommended by the government, at the airports before leaving the country.
The decision will be implemented from July 23, according to a circular issued by Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) on Saturday.
The 16 government-listed COVID testing facilities are: National Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Referral Centre, Institute of Public Health, and National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine in Dhaka; Sher E Bangla Medical College, Barisal, Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Chattagram, Cox’s Bazar Medical College (IEDCR Field Laboratory), Cumilla Medical College, Narayanganj 300 Bed Hospital, Khulna Medical College, Kushtia Medical College, Mymensingh Medical College, Bogura Medical College, Rajshahi Medical College, M Abdur Rahim Medical College, Dinajpur, Rangpur Medical College and Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College.
The passengers must give samples within 72 hours before a flight and collect the report 24 hours before departure from any of these institutes, report BSS and bdnews24.com.
Meanwhile, in a press release, the civil aviation and tourism ministry said all intending passengers need to show their passports and air tickets at the testing facilities while giving samples for the corona test.
The government has fixed Taka 3,500 for each test at laboratories and Taka 4,500 each in case of collecting samples from residences of the international air travellers.
The intending passengers must stay in home isolation after giving their samples until flight day, said the release.
On July 12, the decision was first made at a virtual inter-ministerial meeting chaired by foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen with the participation of health and family welfare minister Zahid Malek, expatriate welfare and overseas employment minister Imran Ahmad and state minister for foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam.
The meeting had also recommended uploading all COVID-19 negative certificates on the website of respective authorised coronavirus testing authorities.
