No Covid test at Dhaka airport as UAE yet to approve procedure

The newly-built six RT-PCR labs at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport did not start commercially testing outbound passengers for Covid-19 even on Tuesday as the United Arab Emirates had not responded to their proposed Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) yet. 

Earlier, on Sunday Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air-Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman said the tests would begin from Tuesday. 

But, yesterday he told the reporters that they could not start Covid-19 tests at the airport because they need the UAE's approval for the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the six private organisations' labs. 

"We sent those two weeks ago. They are still under scrutiny there," he said.

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, Md Mahbub Ali told reporters, "We are fully prepared from our side. As this test is a requirement of the UAE, their approval is necessary."

Expatriates' Welfare Minister Imran Ahmad and Health Minister Zahid Maleque also declared various timeline for starting Covid-19 test at the Dhaka airport in the last two weeks, but they were not realised. 

"If the six organisations that have labs at the airport are approved by this afternoon, then the flight will be operational," said Mafidur. 

"The SOPs have been sent through the embassy. The UAE is scrutinising them. I was told by the ambassador concerned that it was in its final stages. I think everyone will get the approval," he added.

Meanwhile, a flight carrying migrant workers was scheduled to fly to UAE on Tuesday evening on trial basis, but the CAAB cancelled it.

Around 40,000 expatriates, who came home on vacation, have been unable to return to the UAE as the Gulf country in August made pre-flight Covid-19 testing mandatory for inbound passengers.                

On 15 September, the expatriates' welfare ministry announced that they had permitted six private healthcare firms to set up Covid-19 testing labs at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport upon the Directorate General of Health Services' recommendations.     

What are the complications regarding the approval?

The six firms submitted the standard operating procedures on 16 September to the UAE.

Regarding the complications over the approval, the CAAB chairman said, "The UAE raised questions about setting up labs by six companies. It would have been easier for them if there were only one company."

"Each of the six organisations has different type of instrument. The technical side of it is very important. The UAE wanted to know which wanted operate in what way. So we had to submit six different SOPs," he continued. 

Clarifying the reason behind canceling a trial flight on Tuesday, he said, "Today was also a flight to the Emirates. I canceled it. I did it to put a little pressure on them." He said.

"At the request of the UAE and at the initiative of the Emirates airline, some flights have gone on a trial basis. The embassy made arrangements to send some passengers on these flights for business and emergency purposes," he said.