Cambodian garment units re-open cautiously
Major cities in Cambodia have gone into lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a relief to the textile industry, the government will now allow workers in the yellow zone to work with certain restrictions.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Garment factories in Cambodia that
had suspended operations early April 2021 will be allowed to reopen with
certain restrictions. The government had ordered the shutdown of the factories
after thousands of workers had contracted the COVID-19 virus.
The government has released a
document that color-codes cities based on the number of COVID-19 cases in the
area. According to the document, work activities, businesses, and occupations
in the Yellow Zones will be permitted from April 29th, with certain
restrictions in place.
Ken Loo, Secretary-General, Garment
Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC), mentioned that he hoped the
factories will be allowed to reopen but that the association has not received
official information about this. He also added that the industry will receive
the news with open arms as manufacturers have been struggling since last year
because of the pandemic.
He further added that the garment
industry is struggling with a lack of orders from countries like North America
and Europe and since people are working from home, they are hardly frequenting
malls. It is to be noted that GMAC issued a legal advisory this week to
encourage employers to provide stipends for workers when factories were closed.
Source: khmertimeskh
Image source: Human Rights Watch
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