Passengers must show COVID-negative certificate before departure from July 23: CAAB

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh on July 18 announced that all passengers should show COVID-19 negative certificate, received from the federal government listed authorised testing centres, at the airports before leaving the country from July 23.

“As per the directives of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), all departing passengers from Bangladesh must show COVID-19 negative certificate tested by the federal government listed 16 testing facilities only 72 hours of their international flights,” CAAB said in a circular.

Meanwhile, in a news release, the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry said all intending passengers need to show their passports and air tickets at the testing facilities while giving samples for the corona test.

The government has fixed BDT 3,500 for every single test at laboratories and BDT 4500 for each test done in the home.

The intending passengers must stay static in home isolation after giving their samples before day of flight departure, added the release.

The 16 government authorised COVID testing facilities are - National Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Referral Centre, Institute of Public Health, and National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine in Dhaka; Sher E Bangla Medical College, Barisal, Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Chattagram, Cox’s Bazar Medical College (IEDCR Field Laboratory), Cumilla Medical College, Narayanganj 300 Bed Hospital, Khulna Medical College, Kustia Medical College, Mymensingh Medical College, Bogura Medical College, Rajshahi Medical College, M Abdur Rahim Medical College, Dinajpur, Rangpur Medical College and Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College.

The move follows the virtual inter-ministerial meeting held on July 12 chaired by the Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen in occurrence of Health insurance and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Malek, Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam.

The meeting had also recommended uploading all COVID-19 negative certificates on the site of respective authorised coronavirus testing authorities.