The High Court has ordered handing over all overseas returnees to law enforcing agencies to ensure they are quarantined to curb the spread of coronavirus in the country.
On Thursday (Mar 19), the bench of Justice Mujibur Rahman Miah and Justice Mohiuddin Shamim instructed the civil aviation and tourism ministry to implement the order in response to a petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Eunus Ali Akond on Mar 15.
It also ordered the public administration ministry to instruct the deputy commissioners, who are in charge of administration in districts, to strictly monitor and ensure that the overseas returnees abide by the home quarantine rules.
It told the government to test the returnees and to give proper treatment to the coronavirus patients.
Earlier in the day, three new cases of coronavirus, all from the same family, were confirmed taking the total in Bangladesh to 17.
The victims, including two men and a woman, came into contact with a Bangladeshi returnee from Italy. Two of them are suffering from fever while another is showing symptoms of mild fever.
The victims have been hospitalised.