DHAKA: Bangladesh on Sunday began setting up kiosks at designated points across the country to collect samples from suspected COVID-19 patients. This follows in the footsteps of South Korea, which had implemented a similar and highly successful initiative as part of its measures to combat COVID-19. “Nearly 200 health professionals and technicians collect samples from people who visit these booths and send them to the nearest testing facility,” Humayun Kabir, spokesman for JKG Healthcare, the nongovernmental health care service provider that launched the initiative, told Arab News on Sunday. He said once completed, all test results are shared with the respective patients “within 24 hours.” Health workers in protective gear are stationed at designated booths set up by JKG, with visitors required to submit their national ID or any other valid document for the tests, which are free. “Eight health workers from JKG received training from us and trained more health professionals,” Dr. Khondoker Mahbuba Jamil, a virologist at the Institute of Public Health, told Arab News. “We recommended that they wear a face shield in addition to personal protective equipment.” Eight booths have been installed at two locations in Narayangonj, a city on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka, and a COVID-19 hotspot in the country. Officials have collected 200 samples since the initiative was launched on April 13. “The main purpose of these booths is to keep people from moving out of their respective neighborhoods for testing purposes,” Kabir said. In the first phase of the project, JKG will set up 44 booths at various hotspots nationwide, including in Dhaka, with a total of 320 kiosks to be established as part of the plan. “On Sunday, we’ll set up 22 booths at eight different locations in Rohingya camps at Cox’s Bazaar. Hopefully, all these booths will be operative from the next day,” Kabir said. In addition to the JKG kiosks, Bangladesh’s government has installed a testing lab facility at Cox’s Bazaar to facilitate the more than 1.15 million Rohingya refugees living there. As of Sunday, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases stood at 2,456, with 91 deaths reported, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said.