RT-PCR lab issues to be solved in 1-2 days: State minister 

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali has said complexities over RT-PCR laboratories at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport will be solved within one to two days.

Addressing a press briefing at the ministry on Tuesday, he said they were waiting for the labs’ standard operating procedure approval from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities.

On the same day, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman told the media at Dhaka airport the UAE authorities had not yet given the approval.

He said regular UAE-bound flights would resume after getting the approval.

The standard operating procedure documents were sent to them for approval, and the labs were supposed to start operations on Tuesday, he said.

The UAE-bound passengers are unable to depart from Dhaka due to this problem, he said. 

He also said they had tried to get the approval quickly but to no avail.

That is why Covid-19 tests could not be started at the labs, he said. 

“We cancelled a special UAE-bound Emirates flight scheduled for today (Tuesday). Besides, we want passengers on other routes to be tested at the labs also,” he added.   

CAAB officials said special flights are running between Bangladesh and the UAE with the Bangladesh foreign ministry’s permission.

The authorities concerned are in talks with the UAE government about resuming regular flights.

On Sunday, the six labs collected samples from 96 CAAB and government officials at the airport.

The health directorate then compared the test results with those from its own lab and found that the results were the same.

The UAE has made it mandatory for passengers from Bangladesh to depart within six hours after taking an RT-PCR test at the airport.

The expatriates’ welfare ministry has set the test fees between Tk 1,700 and Tk 2,300 per person.