Surat: After 23 workers test positive, ‘floors’ of 8 diamond units shut

SMC Deputy Health Commissioner, Dr Ashish Naik said,”We have quarantined family members of all 23 diamond polishers who tested positive. Their samples were collected and the results are awaited. Their homes have also been disinfected by our teams,”

On Friday afternoon, SMC officials identified and sanitised the floors where the employees who tested positive had been working. Sources in SMC’s health department said that among the 27 cases reported in Katargam on Friday, seven were diamond polishers. Of the 26 positive cases reported in the area on Thursday, 11 were diamond polishers and of the 27 positive cases reported in the area on Wednesday, five were diamond polishers.

Katargam Zone Executive Engineer, RV Gamit said, “In view of the large number of cases being reported from Katargam area, we conducted a survey at diamond factories and found that no social distancing was being maintained at some of them. There were no sanitisers and workers weren’t putting on face masks. The employees were also seated close to each other. We have not shut entire factories, but only the floors in which these employees were working. We have also intimated the factories to keep the rooms on these floors shut for a few days.”

Owner of Shree Ramkrishna Exports Diamonds, Govind Dholakia said, “At present, there are 3,000 diamond polishers working at my firm. We call only half of them on a day and the remaining on the next day. We have laid out sanitiser bottles and ensured that the polishers put on face masks. The polishers who tested positive roam in the city on their alternate holidays and were infected… We take all the required measures. Officials have told us to keep the floors closed for 14 days and we will obey their instructions.”

One of the factories, Dharmanandan Diamonds, is owned by Lalji Patel who had bought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monogrammed suit for Rs 4.31 crore at an auction in 2015.