A total of 985 factories including readymade garments and textile units that fall under the jurisdiction of Industrial Police remained open until Sunday amid coronavirus outbreak in the country. According to the Industrial Police (IP), there are some 7,408 industrial units in the IP’s six zones including Ashulia in Dhaka, Gazipur, Chattogram, Narayanganj, Mymensingh and Khulna. Out of the 7,408 units, 3,366 are readymade garments and textile factories and the rest are jute mills, cement factories, re-rolling mills and other factories. IP sources said that out of the 985 factories which remained open, 299 were textile and RMG units. The IP data showed that there were 1,887 member factories of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association in the six zones and 183 of them remained open until Sunday. Out of the 1,094 factories registered with the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, 35 remained open. A total of 385 factories are registered with the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association and 81 of them remained open until Sunday, the data showed. The rest 4,042 factories belong to other sectors and 686 of them remained open. The IP data also showed that there were 194 factories under the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority and 175 of them remained closed on Sunday. BGMEA officials said that most of the member factories of the trade body announced a closure and a few of the units which were producing personal protection equipment and masks to prevent the coronavirus outbreak in the country remained open. Bangladesh Garment Shramik Sanghati president Taslima Akhter and general secretary Julhasnayeen Babu on Sunday demanded an immediate closure of garment factories with advance pay to protect the workers from the infection of COVID-19. The labour rights organisation said that it was concerning that some of the factories were still open, putting the workers and the other staff at risk of coronavirus infection as social distancing was a must to protect people from the epidemic.
