Women garment workers on front line of Sri Lanka coronavirus outbreak

Authorities in Sri Lanka on Wednesday widened a curfew and warned of legal action against those evading treatment for Covid-19 after reporting an escalating cluster centered around 1,000-oldd women working at a garment factory in the capital's suburbs. Photos: AP

When women at a Sri Lankan garment factory started to develop coughs and fevers, few took it seriously - the South Asian island had few cases of the coronavirus and the onset of the rainy season meant colds were to be expected.

Staff who fell ill saw the company doctor, but many went back to the production line having being told that the factory's owner Brandix, which makes clothes for brands including Gap, Victoria's Secret and Marks & Spencer, had orders to fulfil.