UAE clears rt-PCR tests at Dhaka airport

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has cleared the standard operating procedure of the rt-PCR tests at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) clearing any bar for the resumption of flights.

The UAE has been given approval on the standard operating procedures (SOP) of Covid-19 test for outbound passengers at Dhaka airport, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman told Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday.

The clearance will help Bangladeshi passengers, especially migrant workers, return to their destinations.

The CAAB chief said that the UAE authorities have completed their verification on six health care institutions which will conduct Covid-19 test for outbound passengers at Dhaka.

He added that although they are yet to receive a copy of the official clearance, the embassy has assured that the gulf country has already approved the six laboratories.

Also Read: rt-PCR test to start in full capacity at Dhaka airport from Tuesday

Flight operations between UAE and Bangladesh remained halted till Tuesday, due to the aviation authority not receiving clearance from the Gulf country.

Air Vice Marshal Rahman said that the aviation regulatory body has already verbally informed all concerned airways that passengers might be able to take the test from Tuesday and that airlines have already started selling tickets.

They will officially inform the airways after receiving certifications on the testing capacity and safety requirements from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), he added.

Earlier in the day, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali said that the UAE had said that testing at the airport will start in full swing once the SOPs are approved.

The prime minister has given instructions on the issue so that the expatriate passengers do not have to face any kind of harassment, he added.

On Monday, the authorities said that they were ready to start carrying out rt-PCR tests for expatriate passengers at Dhaka airport from Tuesday.

Testing activities began on a trial basis on Sunday morning following a UAE condition that passengers travelling to the Gulf country will have to be tested for Covid-19 at the airport within 48 hours of the flight and have to have the reports six hours before departure.