Expert panel recommends 14-day institutional quarantine for all home returnees

The National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19 has recommended the government re-impose a 14-day institutional quarantine for all people returning from abroad, fearing a further spread of the new and deadly coronavirus variant through them in the country.

The gestation period of the virus is 14 days and so there is a risk that the home returnees could be infected at any time within 14 days, the Covid-19 advisory panel, headed by Prof Dr Mohammad Shahidullah, argued at its 25th online meeting on Monday.

The recommendation came days after the government reduced the institutional quarantine period for the UK returnees to four days, which the panel deems “not safe enough”.

The government has recently decided to institutionally keep the UK returnees in quarantine for four days, instead of 14 days, and then send them to home quarantine for the rest of the days if they test negative.

The Covid-19 advisory panel also recommended raising the Covid-19 sample testing and making the testing free again in all government facilities.

They also urged the government to distribute its announced financial assistance among all physicians and health workers engaged in the Covid-19 healthcare service, without any delay.

Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services Prof ABM Khurshid Alam was also present during the Covid advisory panel meeting.

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