Coronavirus Update: How Bangladesh Is Coping With The Swirling Crisis

The Bangladeshi government’s Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, or IEDCR, has required all people who return from foreign countries to remain in quarantine at home to halt any spread of coronavirus infection even if they evince no symptoms.

Meerjady Sabrina Flora, the director of IEDCR, said on Sunday that Bangladesh – a nation of some 160 million people – has not yet confirmed even one case of the virus, but warned that it might be spread by someone coming back from abroad. She noted that anyone who returned showing symptoms of the virus will be immediately quarantined.

“If the virus ever enters Bangladesh, it will be through people traveling from those [affected] countries,” she said. “Therefore, the returnees must remain in home quarantine for some days and should not come out until and unless it is an emergency.”

At least 10 million Bangladeshis live abroad, including some in countries that have reported infections. Five Bangladeshi construction workers living in Singapore have contracted the virus as of Sunday. Another Bangladeshi expatriate was discovered to be infected with coronavirus in the United Arab Emirates.

“So, we are advising people coming from abroad to stay in mandatory home quarantine and not to leave home unless there is [an] emergency need,” Meerjady said.

Meerjady added that IEDCR, a unit of the Ministry of Health, has ordered cautionary measures to prevent the coronavirus from spreading in Bangladesh.

“So we are advising all who are coming from abroad to use [a] mask from the airport and take private vehicles instead of public transports if possible to go home” she said. “We are requesting them to stay in home quarantine, avoid public places, and if urgently need to go outside home, use masks. We have the measures for screening and testing them if needed.”

In Singapore, the Bangladeshi community is gravely concerned about the coronavirus outbreak, given that many South Asian migrants live in crowded conditions.

“A lot of [Bangladeshi] people have gone back [home],” said shopkeeper Tariqul Islam. “When people think about life or family, they don’t care about money.”

Singapore, which has a large Chinese population, has thus far reported 90 cases of coronavirus.

About 150,000 Bangladeshis live and work in Singapore.

Kakon Miyan, a Bangladeshi construction worker in Singapore, said many of his friends have already returned to Bangladesh. “We’re staying [in Singapore] for now, but maybe if the situation worsens then we will go back too,” he said.

Bangladesh’s High Commission in Singapore said it has attempted to prevent its people from leaving by providing masks, hand sanitizers and leaflets about the virus.

“We are becoming a bit proactive to stop them leaving [Singapore]... to assure them that this is not something we should be excessively or illogically fearful about,” said High Commissioner Mustafizur Rahman.

But many Bangladeshis have left Singapore for home.

Rauf Naushard, a travel agent who primarily serves Bangladeshi workers, said his business has surged in recent weeks as many clients seek to return to Bangladesh on short notice.

“It never happened before. They had travel plans before. Nowadays... they just want to leave,” said Naushard.

He added that so many direct flights to Dhaka are full, he has had to arrange for flights through Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur.

Bangladesh has not yet imposed any travel advisories for Singapore.

Many Bangladeshis working in Singapore ring up huge debts to agencies who help them migrate to find work.

Majidul Haq, a construction worker, recently returned to Singapore after a one-month holiday in Bangladesh, largely due to his financial obligations despite his family’s fears about the virus.

“My income is crucial,” said Haq.

Meanwhile, an Indian Air Force aircraft has flown 23 Bangladeshis from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the very crux of the virus, to Delhi.

“The Bangladeshi returnees will be kept quarantined for two weeks along with Indian nationals who have been brought back on the same special flight to Delhi,” said Mohammad Imran, the high commissioner of Bangladesh to India.

Bangladesh suspended the issuance of visas-on-arrival to Chinese citizens in early February.

In early February, Bangladesh cancelled plans to repatriate scores of its nationals from China after crewmembers of state-run Biman airlines craft refused to make the flight.

Bangladeshi government officials do not think the fallout from the coronavirus will hurt the country’s economic growth this year. The finance ministry said Bangladesh should be able to meet its gross domestic product growth target of 8.20% for this fiscal year, despite the virus, up from 8.15% in the prior year.

The ministry said the strong flow of remittances from Bangladeshis abroad will help boost domestic demand. The country’s economy will also be buoyed by increased public expenditure, the launch of new infrastructure projects and increased investment related to the establishment of economic zones.

"As a result, the GDP growth rate will maintain the current momentum," the ministry said. "[But] there is no doubt that there will be at least short-term impact [from the virus]. And if the outbreak persists for a long time, this will have far-reaching impact not only on Bangladesh but also on the global economy."

China is Bangladesh’s largest trading partner and its biggest source for raw materials. China accounted for more than 20% of Bangladesh’s imports of $56 billion in fiscal 2018-19.