The government has made 14 days' home quarantine mandatory for anyone arriving in Bangladesh from abroad, Cabinet Secretary Khandakar Anwarul Islam has said.
The decision was taken at the weekly cabinet meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, on Monday.
The cabinet secretary said the decision is to be followed by all. Failure to adhere to the directive will result in government action.
The government will take action following the Communicable Diseases Prevention, Control and Eradication Law, 2018. According to the law, a magistrate can fine Tk10,000 to Tk25,000 for violating the guidelines of home quarantine.
Bangladeshi returnees from abroad being taken to the Ashkona Hajj Camp for medical tests on Sunday, March 15, 2020 | Dhaka TribuneCabinet secretary said, mayors, chairmen, district commissioners, civil surgeons, superintendents of police, upazilanirbahi officers, imams and religious leaders were instructed to disseminate the message in their respective areas.
“Similarly, the concerned authority was also ordered to implement the law,” he added.
On Monday,Bangladesh announced the detection of three new coronavirus patients and confirmed that the virus has started transmitting locally.
So far, eight cases have been recorded in the country, according to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).
The fast spreading coronavirus, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), has claimed more than 6,500 lives and infected more than 170,000 people across the globe as of Monday, according to worldometer.
