Travellers going abroad from July 23-the day international flights to and from Hazrat Shahjalal Airport are slated to resume - will be required to produce a coronavirus test certificate before boarding their flight.

National flag carrier Biman on Saturday requested all prospective passengers to get themselves tested for Covid-19 from any of 16 specified Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) laboratories (see below), and carry the report with them to the airport.

No other lab or institution's reports will be accepted as valid.

Biman through a press release also urged all its passengers to follow other government regulations in this regard: for example, travellers can’t submit their sample within the last 72 hours before their journey.

The government also directed passengers to receive the test reports at least 24 hours before the journey.

Passengers will have to display their tickets, passports and pay a fee while submitting their samples for Covid-19 tests.

For testing coronavirus, commuters of different districts will have to submit their samples at specific booths at the Civil Surgeon’s Office and after giving the samples, the passenger will have to maintain isolation until leaving the country.

The 16 legitimate laboratories for the test are:

National Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Referral Center, Jonoshastho Institute, National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine,  Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases in Chattogram, Sher-E-Bangla Medical College in Barishal, Cox’s Bazar Medical College (IEDCR Field Lab) in Cox’s Bazar, Cumilla Medical College in Cumilla, Narayanganj 300-bed Hospital, in Narayanganj, Khulna Medical College in Khulna, Kushtia Medical College in Kushtia, Mymensingh Medical College in Mymensingh, Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College in Bogura,  Rajshahi Medical College in Rajshahi, M Abdur Rahim Medical College in Dinajpur, MAG Osmani Medical College in Sylhet.

The issue of valid Coronavirus test certificates came into light after Italy suspended flights from Bangladesh on July 7, following a significant number of positive cases of Covid-19 found on a flight arriving from Dhaka that triggered an outbreak in the Lazio region around Rome.

By specifying the institutions that can issue valid certificates, the authorities can stamp out the furore around fake certificates being issued by corrupt private institutions in Bangladesh,that has played out in international media over the past ten days or so.