These decisions will take effect on Sunday midnight (12:01).

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and Health Minister Zahid Maleque disclosed the information at a joint press briefing at State guesthouse Padma on Saturday night.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen among others were present.

The newly-affected coronavirus patients are thought to have come from Europe.  But, the Health Minister did not disclose further details of the new coronavirus patients.

Director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora told UNB that they identified two male persons with Covid-19. The duo returned home from abroad around 14 days ago.  

However, Dr Momen said the government has suspended on arrival visas for all countries for two weeks from Sunday to keep people of Bangladesh safe.

He said passengers will not be allowed to enter from all European countries except England until March 31.

People wear face masks as a precaution after detection of coronavirus patients in Bangladesh. Photo: UNB

"We must protect our people in the country," Dr Momen said adding that those four who were infected with coronavirus came from abroad and another one got infected for staying with one of the returnees.

Dr Momen said they will observe the overall situation in the next two weeks.

The Foreign Minister said all the decisions have been taken in the interest of the people of Bangladesh.

Among the five infected patients, four came from abroad while one got infected for staying with them, he said.

He mentioned that the government even cut short the mega event on March 17 marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Earlier, three coronavirus patients were detected in the country and two of them have recovered by the time.

IEDCR Director Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora at a media briefing on Saturday morning said two out of three patients have already recovered and another underwent a test within the last 24 hours and the result came out negative.

“Another test will be carried out in the next 24 hours. If that comes out negative we’ll then be able to release the patient,” she said.

Meanwhile, 142 Bangladeshis returned from Italy, the worst-hit country in Europe, in the morning.

Dr Flora said they have been tested and no-one of them showed any symptom of coronavirus infection.

She also said all of them were allowed to go to their respective homes and asked to maintain self-isolation properly.