Foreign bound passengers put in trouble

Reza Mahmud :
The government announced that foreign bound passengers must have to take corona negative certificates before boarding on plane but the travelers are in a fix from which laboratory or institution they can obtain certificates.
In this situation, the outbound air passengers, which include Bangladeshi expatriates and businessmen, failed to get a solution and fell into deep frustration.
Many countries imposed restrictions on Bangladeshi passengers' entry in to their territories on the ground of carrying fake corona negative certificates with them.
Government officials of concern departments failed to give any clear message about the solutions of the crisis.
Countries like Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Thailand, India, South Korea, and other European states have banned entry of Bangladeshi citizens in their territories in recent days after getting coronavirus positive passengers in board and fake corona negative certificates.
In these situations the government on Sunday announced that no Bangladeshis would be allowed to leave the country without having a Covid-19 negative certificate to be obtained from authorized coronavirus testing centers.
The decision was taken at a virtual inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen.

The Bangladeshi nationals and business men have fallen into troubles as the certificates they carry are not being recognized.
"What can we do now when the countries are not ready to permit us to enter their lands with the certificate we have collected after testing in our government authorized laboratories? Many people like me are undone as we find no solution of the crisis yet," Abul Hashim, a Italy bound Bangladeshi expatriate businessmen told The New Nation.
Abul Hashim said, he and other foreign bound persons have contacted many garment officials of various departments in this regards but gain no solutions yet.  
He said that the expatriates were seen cheerful after resuming air communication between Europe and Bangladesh but this situation pushed them into deep frustrations.   
When contacted, Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) President Benzir Ahmed MP told The New Nation on Tuesday, "In the era of pandemic, we are trying our best to revive our economy through sending manpower abroad. But some dishonest health care institutions are posing serious threat on the way. Fake corona negative certificates scam are become a matter of headache now."
The manpower exporter said that traders are also suffering from the same problem who wants to visit countries which are opening their workplaces gradually aftermath the coronavirus outbreak there to explore manpower recruiting potential in those countries.  
He suggested that now the government has to start two way efforts to bring out a long lasting solution of the crisis.
Firstly it should fix some standard and dependable health care centers for foreign travelers corona test certificates with strict monitoring for ensuring quality tests.
 Secondly the government should start diplomatic communications with those countries which have restricted traveling by our people in their lands to bring back their trust on our testing standard.
When contacted the government officials failed to make it clear that what the foreign oriented passengers would do in this situation.
When contacted Dr. Ayesha Akther Assistant Director of Health Emergency Operation Center and Control Room of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) told The New Nation on Tuesday, "I cannot say anything about the matter please contact ADG of DGHS."
When contacted, Professor Dr. Nasima Sultana, Additional Director General (Administration) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), told The New Nation on Tuesday, "Please contact with Director of IEDCR in this regards."
Professor Dr. Meerjady Sabrina Flora, Director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) told The New Nation on Tuesday, "The Foreign Ministry and Health Ministry  are working together to solve the matter. It will be decided soon which institution to be fixed for corona test. The decision may be taken within days."
When asked what the foreign bound passengers to do right now before the government's decision as many expatriates and business people have set their travel dates and booked hotels abroad and bought plane tickets? Dr. Sabrina Flora said it is a business of the ministries' not for IEDCR.
Besides, Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training's Director General Md. Shamsul Alam said, we want to recover our image abroad. So, it is priority to testing first with quality laboratories. We are waiting for the ministries' decision.