Maldives returnee hospitalised with fever; body formed for screening at HSIA; 624 more put on self-quarantine

Recovered COVID-19 patient returns home

One patient still ill, no new case detected: IEDCR

Two of the three patients with COVID-19 infection in the country have recovered and one of them has returned home, announced the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) yesterday. The institute also said no new coronavirus patients have been identified so far. IEDCR also advised people returning from abroad to stay indoors for least for 14 days. It warned of legal action against anyone who would violate the advice. Meanwhile, a Bangladeshi man, who landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport from the Maldives, has been sent to a hospital to be quarantined.

“The passenger was sent to the hospital as he was running a high temperature,” Group Captain AHM Touhid-ul-Ahsan said. At least 624 more people in Dhaka, Chandpur, and Barishal districts have been quarantined as part of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. According to reports, the number was 901 till Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh has formed a special taskforce comprising several groups for a smooth health screening of all inbound passengers at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka. Each taskforce of this kind will comprise 20 Ansar members, five supervisors, and two inspectors.

All movements across the Burimari land port to India have been halted from 5pm yesterday as a response to the requests made by the Indian immigration authorities of the Changrabandha land port. However, Indians currently staying in Bangladesh with valid passports will be able to return home through

the channel. The same goes for Bangladehsis staying in India. IEDCR director Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora at a press briefing at the institute said: “One of the coronavirus-infected patients has returned home. Another has healed completely. Though fully cured, he is voluntarily staying at the hospital

because as his family members have

been quarantined at home. One is still under treatment.”

Dr Meerjady urged people with coronavirus symptoms not to visit IEDCR directly for treatment. “If you have the symptoms, call on our hotline numbers and ask for help,” she said.

She also said people coming from abroad should put themselves in self-quarantine. Their families, neighbours, and friends had been requested to help them. Otherwise, they would be punished in keeping with the law, she added.

“Those who returned from overseas must stay in their rooms for at least 14 days. We see in many cases that they are not living in quarantine. They are not complying with our request. So, we can now apply the Epidemic Disease Act,” said Dr Meerjady.

She also said 24 people had been tested for the coronavirus in the last 24 hours. With them, 187 people have been tested in Bangladesh so far. No one has been tested positive yet.

“Those who work in the Middle East

do not need any health certificates to go to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi high commission said they should go by direct flights instead of taking any transit,” said Dr Meerjady.

“Middle East and other countries have assured that they will extend all work permits and visas. So those who work there need not to worry,” she added.

In Chandpur, the district administration asked 608 people to quarantine themselves at home as they had returned from abroad. Chandpur additional deputy commissioner Mohammad Abdullah Al Mahmud Zaman confirmed this. “They have been kept under observation in their houses as part of precautionary measures,” Zaman explained.

In Barishal, 15 people, including four Chinese workers, have been placed under home quarantine. The four Chinese workers arrived at their workplace in Kalapara on Thursday. They have been working at the Payra Thermal Power Project at Kalapara in Patuakhali.

The remaining 11 are expatriates who returned to Bangladesh during the last 12 days from different countries including Italy, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, and Singapore. Four of them, including a woman and a child, arrived in Dhaka from Italy on March 2. They went to their villages in Gournadi upazila a week later.

According to the Barisal divisional health department, these people had been quarantined at home to avoid the risk of coronavirus infection.

“They have been advised not to meet other family members during the quarantine period,” said Basudev Kumar Das, deputy director of the Barishal divisional office of the health directorate.

“The Chinese citizens have been placed in a separate building in the Payra

Thermal Project area. They will return to work if there are no symptoms of the coronavirus after 14 days. Doctors of the upazila health complex are closely monitoring them,” he added.

 

 

 

Maldives returnee hospitalised with fever; body formed for screening at HSIA; 624 more put on self-quarantine

Recovered COVID-19 patient returns home

One patient still ill, no new case detected: IEDCR

Two of the three patients with COVID-19 infection in the country have recovered and one of them has returned home, announced the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) yesterday. The institute also said no new coronavirus patients have been identified so far. IEDCR also advised people returning from abroad to stay indoors for least for 14 days. It warned of legal action against anyone who would violate the advice. Meanwhile, a Bangladeshi man, who landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport from the Maldives, has been sent to a hospital to be quarantined. The passenger was sent to the hospital as he was running a high temperature, Group Captain AHM Touhid-ul-Ahsan said. At least 624 more people in Dhaka, Chandpur, and Barishal districts have been quarantined as part of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. According to reports, the number was 901 till Thursday. Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh has formed a special taskforce comprising several groups for a smooth health screening of all inbound passengers at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka. Each taskforce of this kind will comprise 20 Ansar members, five supervisors, and two inspectors. All movements across the Burimari land port to India have been halted from 5pm yesterday as a response to the requests made by the Indian immigration authorities of the Changrabandha land port. However, Indians currently staying in Bangladesh with valid passports will be able to return home through the channel. The same goes for Bangladehsis staying in India. IEDCR director Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora at a press briefing at the institute said: One of the coronavirus-infected patients has returned home. Another has healed completely. Though fully cured, he is voluntarily staying at the hospital because as his family members have been quarantined at home. One is still under treatment. Dr Meerjady urged people with coronavirus symptoms not to visit IEDCR directly for treatment. If you have the symptoms, call on our hotline numbers and ask for help, she said. She also said people coming from abroad should put themselves in self-quarantine. Their families, neighbours, and friends had been requested to help them. Otherwise, they would be punished in keeping with the law, she added. Those who returned from overseas must stay in their rooms for at least 14 days. We see in many cases that they are not living in quarantine. They are not complying with our request. So, we can now apply the Epidemic Disease Act, said Dr Meerjady. She also said 24 people had been tested for the coronavirus in the last 24 hours. With them, 187 people have been tested in Bangladesh so far. No one has been tested positive yet. Those who work in the Middle East do not need any health certificates to go to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi high commission said they should go by direct flights instead of taking any transit, said Dr Meerjady. Middle East and other countries have assured that they will extend all work permits and visas. So those who work there need not to worry, she added. In Chandpur, the district administration asked 608 people to quarantine themselves at home as they had returned from abroad. Chandpur additional deputy commissioner Mohammad Abdullah Al Mahmud Zaman confirmed this. They have been kept under observation in their houses as part of precautionary measures, Zaman explained. In Barishal, 15 people, including four Chinese workers, have been placed under home quarantine. The four Chinese workers arrived at their workplace in Kalapara on Thursday. They have been working at the Payra Thermal Power Project at Kalapara in Patuakhali. The remaining 11 are expatriates who returned to Bangladesh during the last 12 days from different countries including Italy, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, and Singapore. Four of them, including a woman and a child, arrived in Dhaka from Italy on March 2. They went to their villages in Gournadi upazila a week later. According to the Barisal divisional health department, these people had been quarantined at home to avoid the risk of coronavirus infection. They have been advised not to meet other family members during the quarantine period, said Basudev Kumar Das, deputy director of the Barishal divisional office of the health directorate. The Chinese citizens have been placed in a separate building in the Payra Thermal Project area. They will return to work if there are no symptoms of the coronavirus after 14 days. Doctors of the upazila health complex are closely monitoring them, he added.