In sharp contrast to a cabinet minister's statement on Bangladesh considering a travel ban on China amid the new coronavirus outbreak, the top foreign ministry official has said the government has no such plans.
"Bangladesh is not planning to impose a ban on travel to China," Foreign Minister Masud Bin Momen told Bangla Tribune on Monday (Jan 27).
On Sunday (Jan 26), Health Minister Zahid Maleque said "Many Bangladeshis travel to China for business purposes and it would be disastrous if the virus spreads to Bangladesh. The proposed temporary travel ban would be discussed with priority at the inter-ministerial meeting [scheduled for Jan 28]."
The death toll from the fast-spreading virus rose to 81 in China on Monday (Jan 27) with more than 2,800 infected.
The virus has already spread to more than 10 countries including the US, Japan and neighbouring India. The small number of cases confirmed outside China is linked to people who travelled from the country, but no deaths have been reported elsewhere.