Dhaka, Jan. 27 -- She gave the directive at a cabinet meeting at the Secretariat on Monday, said Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam.

"The prime minister said we must be more alert and attentive to the threat. We must thoroughly screen passengers coming into the country from China," he said.

"Everyone must be careful. We need to set up special quarantine measures in airports and ports so that it doesn't spread in Bangladesh."

The authorities have been instructed to keep an eye on passengers arriving in the country from China or Hong Kong, according to Anwarul.

Ports receiving goods directly from China will also be under the scanner.

The total number of confirmed cases in China rose about 30 percent to 2,744, about half of them i...