Potential Public Health Threats to Ready Made Garments (RMG) Workers During COVID -19 in Bangladesh: A Call for Actions

5 Pages Posted: 5 Aug 2020 Last revised: 7 Aug 2020

See all articles by Shuvro Sen

Shuvro Sen

University of Dhaka; BRAC Univeristy; University of Dhaka

Fahad Ahmed

University of Queensland - Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS)

Shihab Ahmad Shahriar

Noakhali Science and Technology University - Department of Environmental Science and Disaster Management

Neel Antara

Brandenburg University of Technology

Shusmita Sen

University of Chittagong

Michael Onyema Edeh

Coal City University - Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

Sunny Chowdhury

International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC)

Date Written: August 1, 2020

Abstract

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become the most critical and greatest global health disaster of the century that the humankind faced since the Second World War. The public authorities of different countries are continuing the lockdown period to mitigate the probable dispersion of the virus. Though continuing lockdown is minimizing the impact of COVID-19 in several countries, it is affecting the economy of the countries at the same time inversely. The apparel industry is considered as one of the most vulnerable sectors. Bangladesh is not an exception to that, as it is the second-largest Readymade Garment (RMG) exporter following China. The suppliers were struggling with financial issues and could not pay the legal wages to the workers. Thus the ultimate impact of COVID-19 fell upon the workers of this sector. They became the most victim due to the order cancellation and delay order shipments. Millions of RMG workers in Bangladesh were started to face layoffs or furloughs. The overall condition led to re-open some garment factories during the lockdown by following proper instructions regarding COVID-19. However, the situation became worst when the workers were not maintaining the health instructions. Therefore, the RMG factories should ensure that the workers are maintaining the minimum distance between each other. A collaborative approach of the government authorities i.e. Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), Industrial police, and the local police authorities, should be materialized in ensuring the safety measurements along with other preventive measurement strategies.

Keywords: COVID-19, Ready-Made Garments, Workers, Future Strategies

JEL Classification: J63, J71, J81, J83.

Suggested Citation

Sen, Shuvro and Sen, Shuvro and Ahmed, Fahad and Shahriar, Shihab Ahmad and Antara, Neel and Sen, Shusmita and Edeh, Michael Onyema and Chowdhury, Sunny, Potential Public Health Threats to Ready Made Garments (RMG) Workers During COVID -19 in Bangladesh: A Call for Actions (August 1, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3665404 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3665404

Shuvro Sen (Contact Author)

BRAC Univeristy ( email )

66 Mohakhali C/A
Dhaka 1212 Bangladesh
Dhaka, 1212
Bangladesh

University of Dhaka ( email )

University of Dhaka
Dhaka 1000
Ramna, Dhaka, Dhaka 1000
Bangladesh

University of Dhaka ( email )

University of Dhaka
Dhaka 1000
Ramna, Dhaka, Dhaka 1000
Bangladesh

Fahad Ahmed

University of Queensland - Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS) ( email )

Australia

Shihab Ahmad Shahriar

Noakhali Science and Technology University - Department of Environmental Science and Disaster Management ( email )

Bangladesh

Neel Antara

Brandenburg University of Technology ( email )

PO Box 101344
Cottbus, 03013
Germany

Shusmita Sen

University of Chittagong ( email )

Hathazari, Chittagong, Bangladesh
Chittagong, Chittagong 4330
Bangladesh

Michael Onyema Edeh

Coal City University - Department of Mathematics and Computer Science ( email )

Nigeria

Sunny Chowdhury

International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC) ( email )

College Road
Chittagong
Chittagong, 4318
Bangladesh

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