Jun 29, 2021 - Economy

Factory lockdowns in Bangladesh pose familiar retail threat

Hope King

Photo of workers wearing light aqua outfits and masks sewing clothing together in a factory — Garment workers in a sewing section of the Fakhruddin Textile Mills Limited in Dhaka, Bangladesh, last month. Photo: Zabed Hasnain Chowdhury/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh may hamper apparel production for H&M and other retailers, a new report suggests.

Why it matters: Bangladesh is one of the biggest ready-made garment manufacturers in the world. The latest rise in cases is due in part to the Delta variant, which is spreading rapidly.

Starting Thursday, Bangladesh will enter a severe lockdown that will force people to stay home for at least a week.

Flashback: During the country's first lockdown, authorities ordered businesses to arrange transportation for workers, but many did not, forcing people to walk for miles.

The big picture: New cases of COVID-19 continue to number in the hundreds of thousands around the world. Supply-chain operations and shipping ports continue to see increased delays.

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Factory lockdowns in Bangladesh pose familiar retail threat

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