RT-PCR test to detect Covid-19 for outbound passengers is going to start at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram from January 1.
Civil Surgeon of Chattogram, Dr Elias Chowdhury, confirmed the development today.
It was a longstanding demand of expatriate workers going to Middle Eastern countries from Chattogram, said sources in Chattogram Civil Surgeon's office.
The fee for Covid-19 test at the airport has been fixed at Tk 1,600, the Civil Surgeon said, adding that report would be provided in 45 minutes to two hours.
According to some expatriate workers, host counties in the Middle East would not allow them in if they do not test negative -- done through RT-PCR machine -- for Covid-19 just before flying out.
Abdul Mannan, one such expat working in Qatar, said as there was no arrangement for Covid-19 test at Shah Amanat International Airport earlier, outbound passengers from Chattogram had to fly from Dhaka to avail this service which was very inconvenient.
"It saves both time and money, if we can fly to most of the Middle Eastern countries directly from Chattogram," he said.
Four private organisations have been given permission for setting up RT-PCR laboratories at the airport and they have already completed their arrangement, said Dr Asif Khan, deputy civil surgeon of Chattogram.
The organisations are Chevron Clinical Laboratory from Chattogram, Prescription Point and Labaid from Dhaka, and Modern Hospital from Cumilla, he said.
Appreciating the initiative, Khorshed Alam Sujan, convener of Nagorik Udyog Chattogram and also vice president of Chattogram city unit of Awami League, said starting RT-PCR test at the airport would ease the expatriates' travel woes.
