The government will arrange special quarantine facilities for passengers arriving from epicentres of Italy, South Korea, Iran along with imposing visa restrictions for some other countries if the number of COVID-19 cases surge there.
The government has also sent letters to the deputy commissioners (DCs) to limit various events and programmes in their respective districts to avoid mass gathering as part of the preventive measures.
The school authorities will have to supply soap or hand sanitiser for the students to wash hands on school premises. But no decision to close any education institutions now has been taken. There is also no decision to suspend flight operations with any country.
The announcements were made at a press briefing by health minister Zahid Maleque at the Secretariat on Monday.
The briefing was held after the meeting of the National Committee on Prevention and Containment of Coronavirus.
The meeting was held one day after three persons were detected COVID-19 positive on Sunday.
Mr Zahid said that the preparations to prevent and contain coronavirus started in January this year. Two more thermal scanners have been installed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
A total of six new thermal scanners have been procured. One scanner will be set up at the port other than Chattogram and Sylhet airports, he added.
Some 500 beds are ready in Dhaka and 100 beds have been kept ready at district-level hospitals, said the minister.
Regarding visa restrictions, the minister said that on-arrival visa for four countries have already been restricted. Anyone coming from epicentre of Korea and Italy will be sent to quarantine under special arrangement, he added.
But those who will come from abroad must maintain self-quarantine as the virus has spread to 102 countries.
At the moment about 40 persons are at home quarantine, the minister informed.
Regarding the abnormal rise in the price of masks and sanitisers for increase in the sudden demand, Mr Zahid said that the issue has been noticed. Measures will be taken soon, he added. "Although the coronavirus is not deadly like SARS or ebola, it is highly contagious. We will strengthen quarantine and screening processes," said the minister.
Referring to World Health Orgnisation (WHO), Mr Zahid said WHO has provided $ 100 million fund to contain the virus in Bangladesh.
Earlier, in a regular press briefing at Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) director Dr Mirzady Sabrina Flora said that there are four persons in isolation and one in quarantine now.
The symptoms of the three COVID-19 patients were exposed four to seven days after they came from Italy.
She said that some of them are complaining that people of their community have been behaving differently, which is unfair.
She advised media not to mention any details about any infected person.
"We advise that those who come from the most affected countries must stay at their home under self-quarantine process and their neighbours and relatives should extend all help. If they come out, it is the duty of the neighbours and relatives to remind them (not to come out)," she said.
She informed that eight more numbers have been added with the present hotline numbers.
The 12 Hotline numbers are - 01401184551, 01401184554, 01401184555, 01401184556, 01401184559, 01401184560, 01401184563, 01401184568, 01927711784, 01927711785, 01937000011, 01937110011.
Regarding information on patients and sample collection, Dr Flora said that they have been collecting samples through cluster and surveillance network.
More hospitals and laboratories have been identified for sample collection, except IEDCR.
At the same press briefing, director general of DG Health Professor Dr Abul Kalam Azad said that civil surgeons have been asked to open control room at local level.
The hospitals should open a separate unit outside the outdoor for the patients with cough and flu.
"We have added the hotline number 16263 that was used earlier for dengue outbreak with the hotline for corona," he said.
WHO will supply reagents and personal protection equipment for the doctors and nurses who will provide service to the COVID-19 patients.
He, however, said the situation is not that grave here that Bangladesh needs to open hundreds of beds. Only 15 to 20 per cent affected people have to be admitted in hospitals. Most of the cases become cured staying at home and receiving treatment.
"As most of the population is young in Bangladesh, the country has some advantage in containing the virus. We advise people coming from abroad, or infected somehow, that they remain under self-quarantine," said Dr Kalam.
But no quarantine is required like the expatriates who came from Wuhan, if they are not coming from epicentres of the most affected countries.
Regarding the best washing agent, Dr Kalam said soap is the best.
WHO representative Bardan Jung Rana who was present at the IEDCR press briefing said that no one is surprised that three COVID-19 patients have been identified here. Containment cannot be done by health ministry alone. Public education is absolutely important at the moment, he added.
