The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has asked all land, air and sea ports across Bangladesh to conduct rapid antigen tests on incoming passengers to help curb the spread of a new Covid-19 sub-variant in the country.
Health screening must be strengthened at the ports in order to prevent the virus from entering Bangladesh through suspected travellers from different countries, including China, India, Japan, South Korea, the USA, France, Brazil, and Germany, the DGHS said in a circular on Saturday.
The new directive comes following the recent surge of Covid cases in different countries, caused by Omicron sub-variant BF.7, which is very contagious according to experts.
The DGHS said if the infection increases in the neighbouring countries, there is a risk of Covid cases spreading in Bangladesh as well.
Under the circumstances, the health authorities asked all the ports to take necessary steps to prevent the spread of the virus and ensure the safety of the countrymen, read the circular.
