Currently, around 300 to 400 Bangladeshi students are stranded in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. As the city is on lockdown, they are unable to return to Bangladesh and have appealed for help through social media. Since that post has gained traction, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself has directed the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to bring back ‘willing to return’ Bangladeshis who are now stranded in China.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam stated that discussions are currently going on with the Chinese government. The final decision will be made through discussion with local administration in China and with their consent on how this will be done.
The government has made it their top priority to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its citizens residing in China. A hotline has been opened by the Bangladeshi embassy in Beijing to provide emergency support to the citizens. So far, there have been no reports of any foreigner being infected by or dying from the coronavirus.
The government has made it their top
priority to ensure the safety and
wellbeing of its citizens residing in China.
The government must be commended for its dedication to ensuring the security of its citizens. However, we must also keep in mind that bringing back the Bangladeshi expatriates from Wuhan poses a significant risk to the rest of the population of Bangladesh. Therefore, screening at airports in China and Bangladesh needs to be stricter and more thorough.
In case any of the returnees are infected with the virus, they must immediately be quarantined on the airport premises and safely transported to a medical facility to ensure that there is no risk of the virus spreading to the local populace. The government should also raise awareness on the virus through campaigns and distribute face masks.
There is already a lot of information spreading on the disease and the government must take steps to ensure that accurate knowledge is being disseminated to prevent mass panic. Transparency on part of the government in handling the situation is needed to reassure the public.