The government on Monday requested all foreign governments to extend safety and care to all Bangladesh nationals living in different countries to overcome coronavirus situation, reports UNB.
Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen made the request in a briefing for diplomats of different countries with resident missions in Dhaka.
“We are sure that your respective governments and countries would provide safety and care to our workers and people residing in your countries,” he said.
He hoped that Bangladesh nationals would not face any difficulty in their job and situation involving COVID-19 pandemic.
He also assured all foreign nationals living in Bangladesh to extend support here including extension, if necessary, of their visas for three months.
Ambassadors and mission chiefs of all foreign embassies and international organisations in Dhaka were present at the briefing.
Replying to question by a foreign diplomat on safety of Rohingya people, Momen said the government has taken measures to keep the Rohingya camps free from spread of coronavirus. He said eight local people were found infected with coronavirus so far till Monday and three of them were cured.
Momen also informed the foreign diplomats about the steps the government has taken so far on tackling the COVID-19 situation. ‘All eight COVID-19 infections were imported from abroad and there was no local or community contamination,” he said.
Replying to another question on slack enforcement of self-isolation by returnees from abroad, he said the government handed over lists of the people in self-isolation to the local government bodies and the police for enforcement.
Before making the statement at the state guesthouse Padma, the foreign minister and the foreign diplomats released 100 balloons commemorating the birth centenary of Bangladesh’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Earlier in the evening, foreign minister Momen inaugurated Bangabandhu Corner at the foreign ministry which was decorated with pictures of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with foreign dignitaries.
In a separate function, the foreign ministry also announced that officials of the ministry and Bangladesh missions abroad would contribute to sustainable development goals, from now on, with using eco-friendly food grade water bottles instead of disposable plastic bottles in all official programs.
