Travel information

Dhaka, Bangladesh

BANGLADESH

The riverine country of Bangladesh (“Land of the Bengals”) is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, and its people are predominantly Muslim. As the eastern portion of the historical region of Bengal, the area once formed, along with what is now the Indian state of West Bengal, the province of Bengal in British India. With the partition of India in 1947, it became the Pakistani province of East Bengal (later renamed East Pakistan), one of five provinces of Pakistan, separated from the other four by 1,100 miles (1,800 km) of Indian territory. In 1971 it became the independent country of Bangladesh, with its capital at Dhaka.

For more information you can continue reading in these pages:

• Bangladesh – Country Profile by Nations Online Project
• Bangladesh – History, Capital, Map, Flag, Population & Facts by Britannica

DHAKA

Dhaka, also spelled Dacca, city and capital of Bangladesh. It is located just north of the Buriganga River, a channel of the Dhaleswari River, in the south-central part of the country. Dhaka is Bangladesh’s most populous city and is one of the largest metropolises in South Asia.

For more information you can continue reading in these pages:

• Dhaka – History, Definition & Facts by Britannica

COVID-19 Risk management

PRIOR TO TRAVEL

Closely review your itinerary and review country specific exit/entry procedures and COVID restrictions in place. This includes Exit/Entry screening procedures and Quarantine protocols. Make sure to carry your travel insurance policy details/card with you.

Ensure you have the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (“PPE”) in order to reduce your exposure to COVID-19:

• Face Mask: wear N95 or surgical masks (preferably N95).
• Hand Sanitizer: (min. 60% alcohol) so that you can sanitize your hands when appropriate throughout travel.
• Nitrile Gloves: to protect hands when sanitizing frequently touched surfaces (food tray, screen, armrest).
• Sanitizing Wipes: (min. 60% alcohol) so to sanitize your hands and frequently touched surfaces if
  needed.

Have multiple face masks, additional unopened bottles of sanitizer and pairs of gloves (if possible) for back-up, to be stowed in your carry-on bag.

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DURING TRAVEL

• Always wear your face mask. The face mask should cover your mouth and nose. Ensure to follow proper protocol when putting on and taking off your mask (do not touch mouth, nose, or eyes with hands). When putting on or taking off your mask for any reason, ensure your hands have been sanitized.
• Practice social distancing when possible (2 meters apart).
• Avoid large crowds and crowded spaces when possible.
• Practice good hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette:
  • Before you leave, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
  • Once you reach your destination, wash your hands again with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol as soon as possible upon arrival.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or use the inside of your elbow. Throw used tissues in the trash and wash your hands immediately with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Disinfect your personal space (tray, screen, and armrest):
  • Use hand sanitizer to clean your tray and personal seat area. Once your area is clean, sanitize your hands.
  • If you have gloves, put on gloves prior to cleaning, clean and then properly discard gloves and sanitize hands.

If possible, it is preferred to use soap and water to clean your hands. Ensure to wash your hands for 20 seconds.

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WHILE IN MISSION

• Closely monitor your health, check your temperature
• Do not take public transportation, avoid public gathering and crowded spaces
• Keep your distance from others (about 2 meters)
• Wear face mask at all times, including during meetings (N95 or surgical masks). Change regularly your face mask to reduce your exposure to the virus
• Always carry hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes with you 
• Whenever possible, use soap and water to clean your hands

If you get sick with a fever or cough in the 14 days after your arrival:

• Stay home/at the hotel. Avoid contact with others.
• Call your travel insurance provider and tell them about your recent travel, your symptoms and follow their guidance.

Travel insurance information

IBF will subscribe an additional travel insurance for the duration of your stay in Bangladesh, with AIG (Group Plus Business Travel Accident), that covers COVID-19 related medical expenses. More info on this travel insurance is available here.

AIG Covid-19 policy: COVID-related medical expenses are covered by the insurance if the expert insured gets sick or show symptoms for the first time abroad. However, the insurance does not cover nor organises repatriation as a precaution. If the expert insured is travelling and wants to leave the country he is in as soon as possible due to higher amount of contaminations, AIG will not take care of the repatriation expenses. 

We strongly recommend downloading the AIG Business Travel Assistance App before travelling to Dhaka. This App includes:

• A quick-call help button connects you to the emergency medical and travel assistance
• Claims information and contact details
• Country reports and travel security advice
• Subscription to emergency alert email service

Quarantine requirements and covid-related measures in Bangladesh

This information was updated on 15th February 2021. You should ask for update on quarantine requirements and COVID restrictions before travelling to Bangladesh. Please kindly refer to the document “International Travel: COVID-19 Risk Management” for general guidelines in order to limit your exposure to COVID-19 while traveling abroad.

Officials in Bangladesh continue to enforce nationwide measures as of Feb. 15 to curb the spread of COVID-19. Some commercial establishments, including cinemas, may operate. Limited banking services and public transport services are available. The government continues to require people to practice social distancing on business premises. Authorities will keep all schools, except madrasas, closed until at least Feb. 28. People must wear facemasks in public; government offices, businesses, and public transport services are required to refuse admittance to people without facemasks. Authorities continue to ban nonessential public gatherings.

Feedback from Jose’s mission: The government seems to be very relaxed on social distancing measures (no closed shop or restaurant, no social distance is in fact kept, so you should ask the hotel managers to ensure that you can access the hotel restaurants without problems). During business lunches no one is wearing a mask. Travel Restrictions: As of Feb. 15, the government is permitting international commercial flights from Bahrain, China, Kuwait, Malaysia, the Maldives, Oman, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Turkey, the UAE, and the UK. Flights to and from India are also operational under a bilateral “air bubble” arrangement, mainly serving authorized visa holders, repatriates, officials, and diplomats. All arrivals from the UK must undergo a self-paid institutional quarantine for seven days as of Feb. 15. Passengers may undergo the quarantine at a hotel or medical facility based on a health assessment; quarantined individuals who test negative from a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test must quarantine at home for another seven days. All entrants from the UK who are symptomatic or test positive for COIVD-19 during institutional quarantine, symptomatic arrivals from other locations, and those entering without PCR test results must complete 14 days of quarantine at a designated facility, while others may undergo home quarantine. All entrants at least 10 years old must take a PCR test within 72 hours of departure. Overseas Bangladeshi workers in nations without PCR testing facilities may seek prior approval to produce alternative health certification, such as antigen test results. Passengers without approved certification may no longer board Bangladesh-bound flights.

Bangladesh has suspended visa-on-arrival services until further notice; travelers must obtain a visa from their local Bangladeshi diplomatic mission. Authorities require inbound passengers to obtain PCR test results within 72 hours of departure, confirming that they do not have COVID-19. Arrivals are required to quarantine for 14 days at home or a designated facility, based on a medical assessment. Outbound air passengers above 10 years old must undergo COVID-19 testing at a government-approved facility within 72 hours prior to departure; exempted travelers are pre-approved foreigners departing within 14 days of arrival in Bangladesh, as well as holders of diplomatic and official passports and their family members.

Here is the latest travel advice upon arrival in Bangladesh (from the Civil Aviation Authority in Bangladesh)

For healthy passengers: quarantine for 14 days. S/he should stay at home; and should not attend office/school or any other public gatherings, like-markets, movie theatres, concerts, stadiums etc. For essential visit outside home, s/he should wear a mask to cover mouth and nose. In this sense, only essential visits outside home/hotel can be foreseen.

Feedback from Jose’s mission: Jose did not keep quarantine. In any case the BBS officials asked him to get another PCR test before meeting him (can be booked by IOE and done at the hotel). Jose was totally able to get out the hotel. 

Before leaving Bangladesh: ensure that the results of the negative PCR test are PRINTED (no electronic document) in several copies before going to the airport. Once in the airport look for one assistant (there are several) to guid you through the process (and tip him/her generously). You will have to get one of your copies signed and stamped at one Health Desk.