Bangladesh reopens 600 apparel factories despite virus risk
Source: AP
JULHAS ALAM
DHAKA,Bangladesh (AP) — Nearly a month after Bangladesh ordered garment factories shuttered to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the industry is reopening hundreds of them despite risks the disease might spread.
Rubana Huq, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, or BGMEA, said she was under pressure to reopen factories after the pandemic cost the industry more than $3 billion in orders that were cancelled or suspended.
Huq said Tuesday that about 600 factories had reopened during this week, adhering to health protocols. Workers living near the factories are the first to return to the production lines, she said.
At least 856 factories will be reopened soon, Huq said.
FILE - In this April 19, 2018 file photo, trainees work at Snowtex garment factory in Dhamrai, near Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh is gradually reopening its hundreds of garment factories after nearly one month of closure following a government decision for a nationwide lockdown amid concern that coronavirus could spread widely among the industry’s millions of workers, an industry leader said Tuesday. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad, File)
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