At least 20,000 workers of different tea gardens here went on work abstention on Monday morning demanding suspension of their work to prevent the transmission of the deadly coronavirus.

Raju Goala, president of Bangladesh Tea Workers Union, Sylhet, said the workers have been demanding suspension of work for the last several days fearing outbreak of the virus in the tea gardens.

Getting no response from the authorities concerned of the 27 tea gardens in the district the workers went on work abstention from this (Monday) morning, he said.

“We hope the authorities concerned will provide the workers’ wages and ration during this period,” said Raju Goala.

The government on March 23 declared general holidays from March 26 to April 4, aiming to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus. But production was not suspended in the 27 tea gardens.