Dhaka, March 27 -- Rubana Huq, the president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, asked the owners to follow Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's instructions to stay at home and let the workers do so by keeping the factories shut during the general holidays announced for the outbreak.

Hasina has also rolled out a Tk 50 billion package with almost all of the bailout funds going to the factory owners of the RMG industry that earns $34 billion annually. The fund for workers employed in the export industries can be used only for paying wages and allowances to the workers and other employees.

After the first known COVID-19 case was reported in the country on Mar 8, many worker groups called for closure of the apparel fac...