Govt to make Covid-19 negative certificates mandatory for incoming passengers

The government is going to make Covid-19 negative certificates mandatory for every incoming passenger from foreign destinations, Prof Dr Khurshid Alam, Director General (DG) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), said today.

Besides, the DGHS will also set Covid-19 sample collection booths at the quarantine centers at the Ashkona Hajj Camp and in Uttara's Diabari in Dhaka, the DGHS chief said during his visit to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in the capital this noon.

Till now, inbound passengers via air or sea ports with Covid-19 negative certificates were being asked to stay in home quarantine, while those without negative certificates are being sent to the two institutional quarantine centers in Dhaka and another in Chattogram.

"Actually, certificate has been mandatory before, but there was a gap. The new decision will stop that. The circular may be issued within days," Md Habibur Rahman, spokesperson for the DGHS, who attended the DG's visit to the HSIA, told The Daily Star.