Bangladesh – COVID-19 Points Of Entry Analysis (March- October 2020)

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of the year has affected global and regional mobility, including mobility in Bangladesh, through various travel disruptions and restrictions.

To better understand how the pandemic affects global mobility, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) developed an online tool and database to register points of entry, exit and transit - such as airports and land and blue border crossing points - where mobility restrictions and preparedness and response measures are in place. To support these efforts, over a period of eight months, the Displacement Tracking Matrix Regional Evidence for Migration Analysis and Policy (DTM REMAP) team in Bangladesh mapped and gathered data on the locations, statuses and restrictions at Points of Entry (PoE) in Bangladesh.

The information gathered allows more in-depth analysis to uncover specific trends related to the locations, statuses and restrictions of PoEs in Bangladesh.

In October 2020, the DTM REMAP team in Bangladesh assessed 20 PoEs. The most common type of PoE reported was land borders (9), followed by airports (8) and blue borders (3). Internal transit points are not taken into account for analysis in this snapshot.

During the reporting period, the number of assessed PoEs in Bangladesh increased from 19 to 20¹ PoEs. The status of the PoEs changed notably. None of the PoEs were fully operational at the beginning of the assessment. However, by October 2020, 10 PoEs were fully operational, seven were partially operational and three were fully closed.