Bangladesh restarts some garment factories, India debates an easing of restrictions

Municipal workers decontaminate a market area during an extended nationwide lockdown to slow the spreading of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Kolkata, India, April 26, 2020. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri

NEW DELHI/DHAKA (Reuters) - More than 500 garment factories in Bangladesh that supply to global brands reopened on Monday after a month-long shutdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, while in India calls grew for an easing of its lockdown which has caused deep economic pain.

Clothing manufacturers in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong have been permitted to resume work. Some of the world's biggest clothing firms including Gap Inc, Zara-owner Inditex and H&M source their supplies from Bangladesh.