Foreign ships at Chattogram port to be quarantined for 16 days

FT ONLINE 

Foreign ships arriving at the Chattogram port will be quarantined for 16 days to contain the spread of coronavirus infection.

The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), in a meeting held on Friday, has decided to extend the quarantine period for ships by two days, Zafar Alam, Member (Administration and Planning) of the CPA, said saturday night.

Zafar Alam said, "No foreign ship shall be allowed to enter Chattogram port until it has undergone quarantine of 16 days." 

He added if the ship does not take 16 days after leaving a foreign port, it will have to wait at outer anchorage of Chattogram port to complete the quarantine period.

The ship will be then allowed to berth on the main jetty of the port after its medical staff declared all the sailors tested negative for the coronavirus.

The authority has already delivered the message to people concerned, who use the port, he further said.

340 ships come to the port from around the world in a month, on an average, with 28-42 foreign sailors on board. However, doctors are examining sailors with handheld machines due to the lack of thermal scanners.

Alongside the 16-day quarantine for ships, additional precautionary measures have also been taken at the port gates to counter the outbreak of coronavirus.