Even as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) called upon Governments to take action to prevent and control COVID-19 in the workplace, Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Tuesday maintained that factories are operating on a limited scale and after maintaining the necessary hygiene issues.
He also assured that steps have been taken to prevent inflow of workers into the capital city, which could further escalate the coronavirus situation.
“Garment factory workers who are now available in Dhaka can join factories… no one from outside will be allowed to come to Dhaka for work, and necessary steps have been taken in this regard,” stated the Home Minister at a meeting with the stakeholders.
The Home Minister’s assurance is expected to assuage apprehensions after allegations of workers from far and wide making a beeline to reach the manufacturing hubs in and around the capital city even as the Bangladesh Garment Makers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) informed its member factories to operate on a limited scale and summon only those that are residing within the vicinity of their workplace.
Health experts fear that despite precautions by the factories, the norms of social distancing would be difficult to maintain both within and outside the factory premises if majority of workers turn up to work, which could lead to an explosion in COVID-19 cases.
It may be mentioned here that the BGMEA has recently come up with factory opening guidelines and safety protocols that are to be maintained by all the units.
The ILO had earlier called upon the Governments across the globe to protect the workers from the dreaded epidemic.The ILO Director General Guy Ryder had said that safety and health of the entire workforce is paramount today.
