Factory lockdowns in Bangladesh pose familiar retail threat
- Hope King, author of Axios Closer
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.