Staff Correspondent | Published: 22:11, Oct 11,2020
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association has asked its member factories to make preparations to tackle a possible second wave of coronavirus outbreak in the country.
The trade body in a recent letter to its members said that the outbreak of coronavirus was still continuing in the country and it was feared that the virus infection might increase in the coming winter season.
There are more than 4,000 member factories with nearly 40 lakh employments under the BGMEA and nearly 2,300 of them export readymade garment products directly.
The BGMEA asked its members to take precautions for the second wage of the outbreak following a government instruction for precautionary measures to tackle the situation if the country experiences a surge in coronavirus infections during the upcoming winter.
The National Technical Advisory Committee on COVID -19 in its 20th meeting held online on September 20 advised the government to make all preparations to prevent and control the second wave of the coronavirus infection.
In response to the experts’ fear, prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the weekly cabinet meeting on September 22 asked the ministries concerned to take all precautions to face the second wave of the infection.
Following the cabinet meeting, the BGMEA on October 5 issued letters to its member factories, warning about the second wave of the outbreak.
The BGMEA asked its members to inform the report of infected workers, employees and officers, if there is any, through the hotline of the trade body or to its health in-charge.
According to BGMEA statistics, a total of 555 workers of RMG factories have so far been infected with coronavirus and 503 of them have been cured.
BGMEA president Rubana Huq said that they were just taking precaution and warning factories about the possible second wage of the outbreak.
Bangladesh on March 8 confirmed for the first time that three people were infected with the novel coronavirus and the government announced general holidays from March 26 to contain the infection in the country.
In line with the government holidays, the BGMEA asked its members to keep their units shut.
With the permission from the government, the apparel exporters reopened their production units on April 26 amid the outbreak.
According to the official data, a total of 479 workers of 204 factories in six industrial zones under the jurisdiction of Industrial Police tested positive for coronavirus till Sunday.
Out of the 479 workers, 431 are from readymade garment and textile factories outside and inside the export processing zones, and 48 from 34 from other non-RMG factories, the data showed.
The IP data showed that six infected workers including four from the RMG sector had died.