Virus Cases Shut Parts of Surat Cutting Units

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)