Experimental activities of RT-PCR laboratory have been started at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for testing coronavirus samples of expatriates and passengers at the earliest. However, the government hopes that the lab will be fully operational from September 28.
Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) chairman Air-Vice Marshal M Mofidur Rahman said this at a press conference on the occasion of World Tourism Day at Secretariat in Dhaka on Sunday.
He further said, “Our friendly country, the United Arab Emirates, has given us a condition. Bangladeshis have to take PCR test at the airport 48 hours and 6 hours before departure. Ministry Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Foreign Affairs have jointly started the experimental activities of the RT-PCR laboratory inside the airport by the The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).”
The CAAB chairman said, “If the experimental process is successful and declared safe, we will notify the airlines. Hopefully, testing will begin from September 28 ... because we have to give 48 hours.”
“Every passenger has to take PCR test 48 hours in advance. We have to give the airlines at least two days for the passengers’ test.”
Mofidur Rahman said, “Hopefully, the journey (RT-PCR test) will start in the next two to three days. The journey has already begun. The Prime Minister’s directive was that we should implement it quickly. That is why we have already sent 48 people as test cases. They have accepted it.”
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