Bangladesh garment factories reopen, defying virus lockdown
Collected
Hundreds of Bangladesh garment factories defied a nationwide coronavirus lockdown to reopen, raising fears the industry's vulnerable and largely female workforce could be subjected to the contagion.
Big-name international brands have cancelled or held up vast amounts of dollars in orders because of the pandemic, crippling an industry that makes up about over nearly all the South Asian country's export earnings.
Factories shut their doors in late March however, many suppliers said they were now being pushed by retailers to satisfy outstanding export orders.
"We must accept coronavirus within life. If we don't open factories, you will see monetary crisis," said Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association vice president Mohammad Hatem.
He said his MB Knit company had reopened part of a factory which makes clothing for Primark and many other retailers.
A lot more than four million persons work in a large number of garment factories across Bangladesh, which last year shipped out $35bn of apparel to retailers such as for example H&M, Inditex and Walmart this past year - second only to China.
Source: https://www.rte.ie
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