Surat: The diamond cutting and polishing hubs are once again turning into Covid-19 hotspots as infections continue to spike in the city.With testing intensified, the number of cases from the central, Varachha-A and North zones have seen a steady rise in Covid-19 positive cases.
 
This was revealed by the health department of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) during the analysis of data. City health officials believe that in the current scenario the diamond industry will have to strictly follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) to curb the cases otherwise the situation spiral out of control.
 

Officials claim that a congested working environment and not wearing masks is causing the spread of the infection. Diamond trading usually happens in open areas but social distancing is missing. Diamond trading offices and polishing units don’t have proper ventilation due to security reasons while staff members sit very close to each other.  “There is a continuous and sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in diamond hubs of the city. Earlier, the spike was in areas having textile units and attempts were made to keep check in those areas,” said a senior health official in SMC. 

Out of total 13,443 random testing done from March 14 to March 28, 398 people were found positive in these zones. In the previous year’s Covid wave, the sharp rise in cases from these areas were recorded after the units were allowed to start operations.  “The diamond industry must strictly follow SOP laid out by SMC. We will speed up vaccination too in these areas,” said the official. 

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