Health Minister Zahid Maleque has urged expatriate Bangladeshis not to return home amid the coronavirus pandemic.
He said this during a press briefing at the secretariat on Thursday.
He requested people of the country to ask their relatives living abroad not to return home right now.
“The government has ensured screening for the inbound passengers at airports, land ports and seaports in Bangladesh to contain the spread of the COVID 19 following the WHO protocol,” he also said.
The minister also urged expatriates who already returned to the country to stay in self-quarantine as a part of safety measures.
“People of Bangladesh have already become aware of COVID 19, as we are getting a lot of feedback from them. They are notifying us if they find any returnee to have coronavirus symptoms,” Zahid added.
He informed that all committees formed to tackle coronavirus are performing their duties actively across the country.
The government already formed a three-layer committee in central, district and upazila level, the minister said.
The minister said all educational institutes should at least ensure hand wash facilities immediately.
He also said industry owners should follow similar guidelines for their workers.
More than 4,300 deaths
On Tuesday, Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte went on television to announce the entire country would effectively be placed on lockdown.
More than 121,000 people have been infected with COVID-19 in 118 countries and over 4,300 people have died of the virus, according to a Reuters tally. More than 15,000 cases have been counted in Europe.
The worst affected countries are China, (80,761 cases, of which 3,136 deaths), Italy (9,172 cases, 463 deaths), South Korea (7,513 cases, 54 deaths), Iran (8,042 cases, 291 deaths) and France (1,412 cases, 30 deaths).
In China, more than 70% of those who have been infected have been cured since the epidemic broke out.
