The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has initiated Covid-19 tests at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka from Saturday evening by installing a testing lab.
However, testing activities ran on a trial basis with testing samples of some 100 aviation staff to measure the performance of the operators.
As many as six organizations, including Stemz Health Care (BD) Ltd, CSBF Health Centre, AMZ Hospital, Anwar Khan Modern Medical College and Hospital, Gulshan Clinic Limited and DMFR Molecular Lab & Diagnostics will serve passengers as they have already installed rt-PCR machines in the lab.
“The Covid testing lab is functional from today (Saturday). Now the airlines will make schedules for their passengers in coordination with the lab operators,” said Prof Dr Nasima Sultana, additional director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
She was briefing reporters at the airport on Friday.
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Nasima Sultana also said: “The test is compulsory for passengers before they board aircraft. Passengers will complete registration at first, then give a sample for Covid test and collect the result within an hour.”
According to the DGHS officials, the test is currently mandatory only for the United Arab Emirates bound passengers as the UAE makes it compulsory.
Passengers are likely to pay a minimum of Tk1,700 for testing at the airport, they added.
A permanent testing centre will be set up in front of the airport parking lot in future; it has been installed as a temporary basis inside the airport now.
