Sadman Sakib, 19, one of the 304 returnees from China now quarantined in the Ashkona Hajj camp, was not very comfortable inside his two-bed dormitory room in Wuhan University.

Fearing he could get infected, he returned. But now he, like many others inside the camp, is crammed into a hall room with poor facilities.

“My son was better quarantined in China. But he is staying with over 40 people in a room. It makes me worried,” said Nasima Begum, mother of Sakib, who went to the camp from Dhaka’s Mirpur.


A woman brings food for her brother, who is in quarantine. Photo: Collected/ Anisur Rahman
In quarantine, movement of people and goods are restricted to prevent the spread of disease or pests.

As a provisional measure, the authorities kept the returnees from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan inside the camp.

The authorities said most of them went through a quarantine period in China and none of them had any symptoms. They said they were keeping the students there for good measure.


Experts, however, recommended maintaining the standard practice for keeping people quarantined.