Migrants’ Quarantine in KSA: Govt to send them Tk 25k to help with hotel costs

The government has decided to send Tk 25,000 as a subsidy to the hotel quarantine fee for Saudi Arabia-bound migrant workers to their bank accounts.

The money will be sent to the bank accounts of the workers or their selected representatives, the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment said in a press release yesterday.

The subsidised money will be given to the workers who have already undergone hotel quarantine in Saudi Arabia on their own expenses since May 20 and those who will travel to the Kingdom by June 30, the release said.

The decision was taken after Saudi Arabia issued a travel advisory effective from May 20 citing mandatory institutional quarantine in Saudi Arabia and some other clauses for passengers traveling to the Kingdom from non-restricted countries including Bangladesh.

To be eligible, both workers who are scheduled to undergo quarantine in the Kingdom in the coming days and those who already underwent quarantine there have to apply along with necessary documents to the concerned government authorities of Bangladesh, it said.

The application form can be downloaded from the expatriates' welfare ministry's website www.probashi.gov.bd, website of Wage Earners' Welfare Board www.wewb.gov.bd, and website of Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training www.bmet.gov.bd.

Besides, forms are available at the Probashi Kalyan Desks set up at three international airports in the country.

Workers have to apply along with photocopies of emigration clearance cards known as a smartcard, first four pages of passport, visa, plane ticket, and hotel-booking receipt.

Workers travelling in the coming days have to submit the application on the day of their flight and before departure at the Probashi Kalyan Desk starting from June 7.

Workers who have already undergone hotel quarantine in Saudi Arabia have to apply along with the necessary papers through the postal service to the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh and Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah within June 30.