RAPAPORT… Around eight diamond-cutting businesses in Surat have closed parts of their factories after a coronavirus outbreak.
Authorities ordered the shutdowns after 20 to 23 workers tested positive for the virus, Colin Shah, chairman of the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), told Rapaport News Monday. Several staff members have entered a 14-day quarantine as a result.
The companies were strictly following social-distancing rules, Shah pointed out. Manufacturing facilities in Surat were already operating at limited capacity due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with companies allowed 50% of workers in factories and 33% in offices. Surat is the heart of India’s cutting industry, with an estimated 500,000 workers in the city manufacturing more than 90% of the world’s diamonds.
Meanwhile, the GJEPC has postponed the IIJS Premiere trade show — scheduled for August 6 to 10 in Mumbai — until later in the year, Shah said. The council has not decided on new dates for the event.
Image: Surat. (Shutterstock)
Virus Cases Shut Parts of Surat Cutting Units
The Bottom Line
- Eight diamond-cutting businesses in Surat closed parts of their factories after 20 to 23 workers tested positive for Covid-19.
- Surat’s manufacturing facilities were already operating at reduced capacity, with 50% factory and 33% office staffing limits due to the pandemic.
- The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council postponed the IIJS Premiere trade show originally scheduled for August 6-10 in Mumbai, with new dates pending.
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