Shawdesh Desk:

The much-awaited RT-PCR labs to conduct Covid-19 tests for the departing passengers will go into full-scale operation at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Tuesday.

Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman announced this after launching the RT-PCR labs on experimental basis at the airport on Saturday.

State Minster for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Mahbub Ali, Secretary Mokammel Hossain and Chairman of Bangladesh Tourism Corporation Hannan Mia were, among others, present.

The United Arab Emirates has imposed a condition that the passengers travelling to the UAE will have to conduct Covid-19 test at the airport 48 hours or 6-hours before departing the country, said the CAAB Chairman.

“We have taken an initiative to launch the RT-PCR lab inside the airport with coordination of the Overseas and Expatriate Welfare, Health and Foreign Ministries and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) conducted a test operation today,” he said.

“If the test-run goes successfully, then we will inform the airlines authorities and for this we need 48 hours and we hope those will start full-scale operation from September 28,” he added.

There will be 12 machines installed at the 6 labs at the airport. At least 3-4.5 thousand people will be able to test at these labs every day.

Rapid PCR Lab for fast testing-results and RT-PCR Lab for general testing will also be used at the labs, said Health and Family planning Minister Zahid Maleque while visiting the airport on Tuesday.

On September 6, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said PCR booths will be set up at three international airports of Bangladesh to facilitate passengers to take Covid-19 tests four to six hours before boarding their flights.

The directive came from a cabinet meeting held with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

He said the PCR booths will be set up at Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet international airports.