Amidst ongoing debate among various quarters as to the total number of workers infected with the dreaded coronavirus, the country’s Industrial Police compiled a data on the same recently.
According to media reports, as per the figures made available by the Industrial Police, 384 workers engaged in 162 factories spread across six industrial zones in the country, have been detected COVID-19 positive till Tuesday.
Further, four workers are said to have succumbed to coronavirus so far.
Of these workers, 293 are said to be garment workers working in 91 textile and RMG units that are located within the Export Processing Zones (EPZ) while 60 workers are from around 48 factories located within the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA).
The remaining 31 workers are said to be from factories that are not into garment manufacturing.
The highest number of infections is reported in Narayanganj (99), while Gazipur has the second highest number of cases with 86 testing positive for coronavirus followed by Mymensingh (70), Chittagong (58) and Khulna (8).
Further, of the infected garment workers, around 205 are said to be working in 61 member factories of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) while 84 are said to be working in 27 that are under the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).
Another four workers are from three mills affiliated with Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA).
It may be mentioned here that the Industrial Police has jurisdiction over six industrial zones, from which it collated the data. But a lot many factories are said to be operating outside the industrial zones.