IEDCR Director Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora made the announcement at a media briefing at Mohakhali, Dhaka.

"Two out of three patients have already recovered and the other one 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 then we’ll be able to release the patient,” she said.

“So there’s no one in Bangladesh who is affected with coronavirus at present," Dr Flora said.

In the last 24 hours, the IEDCR tested 24 samples and all of them were negative.

Meanwhile, 142 Bangladeshis returned from Italy, worst-hit country in Europe, in the morning. Dr Flora said they have been tested and none of them showed any symptom of coronavirus infection.

She mentioned that the returnees have been sent to Ashkona Hajj Camp for quarantine.

"They will undergo many tests in quarantine and decision about them will be taken later," she said.

Meanwhile, the government announced that people coming to Bangladesh from infected countries will be kept in compulsory quarantine.

Dr Flora claimed that the situation is not critical enough to call for shut down of educational institutions.

"Schools and colleges have been shut in countries where the coronavirus situation is very bad. But that’s not the case in our country and we don't feel it’s necessary to close educational institutions at the moment," she said.

The IEDCR chief reiterated her call to refrain from coming to Bangladesh from abroad and noted that those travelling directly to Saudi Arabia from here do not require health certificates.

"We’ve been repeatedly discouraging everyone from travelling to Bangladesh in this situation. We’ve been in talks with the Foreign Ministry. The Health Ministry also advises to stop the practice," said Dr Flora.