Bangladesh suspends on arrival visa for Chinese nationals

Dhaka: Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Sunday said the visa on arrival for Chinese nationals has been suspended for one month following the outbreak of coronavirus.

A number of countries have already suspended visas for Chinese travellers.

Bangladesh on Saturday brought back 316 of its nationals from Wuhan in China’s Hubei province, the epicentre of the new virus outbreak, and kept them at a quarantine unit at Ashkona.

The health ministry has also ordered screening of all people coming to Bangladesh from India through the Benapole land port for coronavirus.

Global coronavirus cases rose to nearly 14,380, surpassing that of the 2003 Sars epidemic, according to Chinese and World Health Organisation data.

The majority of the cases have been reported from China but about 100 cases have been confirmed in 23 other countries.

Bangladesh was yet to report any case.

Deaths caused by the new virus rose to 304 in China.

The Philippines has recently reported the first coronavirus death outside China, reports the South China Morning Post. (UNI)