The government measure for restarting economic activities amid the ongoing virus pandemic through reopening the export-oriented RMG factories may backfire if proper health protocol is not maintained in the factories and for the workers, experts said.
Experts further opined that it was too early to ease the shutdown and allow businesses to reopen, even on a limited scale, as there is no sign that the virus infection is slowing down.
The government should not compromise with lives and health risks for the cause of the economy, added.
The government needs to take a new plan to overcome this unstable situation and to save the economy, they said adding that, the country’s factories should reopen slowly by maintaining necessary health protocol.
Former lead economist of the World Bank Zahid Hussain told Bangladesh Post, “It is now very difficult to say when the perfect time is to reopen the factories as the coronavirus cases are still showing an upward trend.”
If Bangladesh wants to come out of the lockdown, it first needs a better estimation of detected infected persons, and for that, it needs to ramp up testing as the current rate of testing is too small to reach a credible number, he added.
He said, “It is very much difficult to ensure health safety or social distancing in RMG’s factories.”
“If proper health protection of workers cannot be ensured there, we will fall into serious trouble. There will be a chance to spread this virus at the community level,” Hussain mentioned.
He said the economy is under a serious strain due to the shutdown, but there is no chance to compromise with people’s lives to save the economy.
He said, “Some countries have reopened their factories by testing their employees and maintaining necessary health protocol. Even Singapore has stopped economic activities within a week of reopening.”
Earlier, Principal of Dhaka Medical College Professor Khan Abul Kalam Azad told media that the entire nation will be at risk if the factories are reopened as there here is no sign that the coronavirus situation has improved.
He had further said that businessmen were talking about the Sweden model but the perspectives of the two countries are not the same.
“People in Sweden obey the law, maintain social distancing, lead a much better life, and their healthcare facilities are much more updated than ours,” he had added.
BGMEA President Rubana Huq said they are under pressure to allow the reopening of 856 factories. As global buyers canceled over $3 billion of orders so it’s crucial to reopen the factories, she added.
President of Sammilito Garment Sramik Federation Nazma Akter said they are not satisfied with the health safety and social distancing measures taken by the factories. Some factories are maintaining the health safety measures and many are not, she observed.