Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Sunday said business people have failed to keep their promise of reopening the export oriented factories only with  workers available in Dhaka and its adjoining areas during the ongoing lockdown. 

At a briefing at his residence Quader said "The business leaders had promised to start the factories with the workers who are residing near the workplaces. But in reality many factory owners have sent notices to the workers to quickly return to work."

The short notice has prompted workers’ hurried return to the capital city in thousands ignoring all Covid health protocols for fear of losing jobs, he said. This might aggravate the surging pandemic situation in the country, he feared.

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He said the government decided to allow the export-oriented industries to open at the request of the business people.

Accordingly, the mainly the garment factories reopened Monday (Aug. 1), even though the current lockdown would continue until Aug. 5.

Caught off-guard by the decision thousands of workers, who had gone to village homes along with their family members on Eid holidays, began returning to Dhaka either by foot or by rickshaw vans, trawlers, goods-laden pickup truck in the absence of public transport.

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In a last moment decision the government allowed public transport to operate only until Saturday noon to facilitate the workers' return to work.