Health/Travel Alert – U.S. Embassy Dhaka, Bangladesh

Location:  Dhaka, Bangladesh

Event: Countrywide Lockdown Continuation

The Government of Bangladesh announced a continuation of the countrywide lockdown from April 14 to 21 to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus.  The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) also announced a weeklong suspension of all international passenger flights to and from Bangladesh beginning April 14.

For additional details on the suspension of flights, please consult the CAAB website at http://caab.portal.gov.bd/.  To reschedule flights, please contact your airline.  For additional lockdown information please read the full Government of Bangladesh (GoB) circular at https://cabinet.gov.bd/.  The circular is available under the “Notice Board.”

  1. All government, semi-government, and non-government offices will be closed.
  2. All modes of transport (road, sea, rail, domestic and international flights) will be closed. This order is not applicable in case of transportation of commodities, production, and emergency.
  3. Residents should remain in their homes except for emergencies or for essential needs, such as shopping for food and medicine.
  4. Factories and emergency service providers will remain operational.
  5. Restaurants (including hotel restaurants) and food shops will be open for takeaway/delivery for limited times.
  6. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police are enforcing the lockdown through increased patrolling, establishing random checkpoints around the city, and implementing mobile magistrate courts.

The U.S. Embassy reminds all U.S. citizens to practice sound personal security measures which include following GoB laws and local government ordinances, and to always carry a fully charged work or personal cell phone.

The U.S. Embassy will be closed for routine U.S. citizen services from Wednesday, April 14 for the duration of the lockdown.  All U.S. citizen services appointments already scheduled for the week will be rescheduled.  In the event of an immediate need for service or an emergency, please email DhakaACS@state.gov to request an emergency appointment.  The Embassy will reopen U.S. citizen services appointments after the lockdown is lifted.

To receive U.S. Embassy Bangladesh updates, please enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP):  https://step.state.gov/.

Please consult the U.S. Embassy’s website (https://bd.usembassy.gov/) for additional information on the situation in Bangladesh and the Department of State’s COVID-19 page on travel.state.gov for the latest information.

You can contact the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, located at Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka Bangladesh 1212, at (88) (02) 5566-2000, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday except for holidays.  On holidays or weekends the after-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is (88) (02) 5566-2000; after dialing press “0” and ask for the duty officer.

Further Actions to Take:

Assistance: