The health ministry has streamlined the Covid-19 testing facilities for the international passengers amid fake certificate scam and asked all to use 16 designated centres across Bangladesh for the testing before travelling.
Those are the National Institute of Laboratory Medicine & Referral Centre, the Institute of Public Health (IPH), and National Institute of Preventive & Social Medicine (NIPSOM) in Dhaka.
The Narayanganj 300 Bed Hospital, Bangladesh Institute of Tropical & Infectious Diseases in Chattogram, Sher-E-Bangla Medical College in Barishal, Cox's Bazar Medical College (IEDCR Field Laboratory), Cumilla Medical College, Khulna Medical college, Kustia Medical College, Mymensingh Medical College, Shahid Ziaur Rahman Medical College in Bogura, Rajshahi Medical College, M Abdur Rahim Medical College, Dinajpur, Rangpur Medical College and Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College are outside the capital.
The health ministry also gave 10 conditions.
Test fee will be Tk3,500 if samples are given at those centers and Tk4500 for home collection.
At districts where the tests will be done, the samples will be collected in separate booths set up at the civil surgeon offices.
The passengers have to show their air tickets and passport before giving samples.
The receipt has to mention compulsory isolation for them after the submission of the samples.
No samples will be collected 72 hours before the flight and the report has to be delivered 24 hours before departure.
Confidentiality has to be maintained while giving out the report to them.
The results have to be reported to the DGHS and IEDCR daily.
The results will be uploaded at the website of the immigration department.
All concerned civil surgeon offices have to open call centres and send the hotline numbers to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Health Services Division and DGHS.
Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism and Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment will arrange greater publicity of the whole process of testing and getting the report.
The government made the virus free certificate mandatory from July 23 for the outbound passengers after Italy banned Bangladeshis entry following reports of Covid-19 cases in a flight.