Govt tightens quarantine requirement for overseas returnees

The government is stepping up its efforts to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus by promising to clamp down on people returning from abroad who fail to self-isolate after the number of confirmed cases in the country rose to eight.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 16 March 2020, 08:23 PM
Updated : 16 March 2020, 08:23 PM

The cabinet decided to impose a mandatory 14-day quarantine on all travellers arriving in Bangladesh from overseas.

The government’s disease control agency, the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), has warned that anyone disobeying the requirement will face stringent measures, including fines.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen reiterated the government's stance after foreign diplomats raised concerns over reports of overseas returnees roaming freely in the country.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal also warned of action from law-enforcement against those who disobey the quarantine requirement.

The Directorate General of Health Services has issued several directives on 'home quarantine' aimed at returnees from abroad.

More than 100 Bangladeshis were evacuated from the Chinese of Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, and were kept in quarantine at Dhaka's Ashkona Hajj Camp in January. They were released after 14 days as their tests for the virus returned negative results.

The virus has since spread to over 118 countries around the world with Europe becoming its current epicentre. It has infected more than 162,000 people and killed over 6,000 globally.

But after quarantining the Wuhan evacuees, the government allowed subsequent returnees to go home and self-isolate.

In the meantime, the country confirmed its first cases of the coronavirus after three people -- two of whom had returned from Italy -- tested positive for the infection.

The number of cases went up to eight on Monday, among whom, three are relatives of a Bangladeshi expatriate from Italy.

Nearly 300 Bangladeshis returned from Italy, the worst-affected country in Europe, between Saturday and Sunday.

But most of them refused to be placed in institutional quarantine while there were also reports that many others who came back earlier had been out and about, prompting the strict measures from the cabinet.

Speaking after the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said, "Whoever returns from abroad, be it from a government programme, training or ordinary people, will have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine without exception."

Anyone failing to comply with the order will face action under the Infectious Diseases (Prevention, Control And Elimination) Act, warned Anwarul.

The law prescribes up to three months in jail and a fine of up to Tk 50,000 for anyone who obstructs the government's efforts to control an infectious disease or disobeys an order.

The cabinet secretary highlighted a Tk 10,000 fine imposed on a returnee from Saudi Arabia in Mankikganj and said, "Rangpur's divisional commissioner returned to the country on Monday. He has been told that he has to quarantine himself for 14 days.

"Whether it’s an officer or a private individual, whoever comes back from abroad, regardless of the country, must undergo a 14-day quarantine and they will face legal action if they fail to do so."

IEDCR Director Meerjady Sabrina Flora said district-level committees have been directed to be uncompromising on the enforcement of the mandatory quarantine.

According to the IEDCR, more than 606,012 people have come back to Bangladesh from abroad until Mar 15, with 9,965 returning in the 24 hours to Monday noon. Apart from the three international airports, many have entered the country through land and sea ports.

It has come to the IEDCR's attention that many returnees from abroad have taken part in social gatherings, said Flora.

The IEDCR stressed the need to raise awareness about the risks among family members of returnees and warned that an outbreak would be hard to prevent if self-isolation is not ensured.

"Once again we are requesting those who returned from abroad to distance themselves from their family members. We will be able to isolate them from society through the steps that we're taking. If they cannot be isolated from family members then it will be difficult to prevent an outbreak. In that case, we'll have to enforce institutional quarantines."