Textile, apparel units in many states issue Covid advisory

Labour-intensive textile, apparel, diamond and engineering units in states including Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have issued advisories asking workers to abide by Covid-19 protocol so as to prevent a resurgence of the pandemic. The development comes in the wake of reports of mounting cases of the infection in China.

The Surat Municipal Corporation held a meeting with representatives of textile and diamond trade to discuss the Covid-19 situation and said it is looking at how to provide booster doses to the workers. The diamond and textile units in Surat together employ about 2.8 million people.

The Tiruppur Exporters Association issued an advisory to its 1.2 million workers and sought to allay fears about a fresh wave of the pandemic among migrant workers so that they do not leave their workplaces. “The workers in Surat and Mumbai units have started observing the Covid-19 protocol. For the gems and jewellery industry, the news of Covid-19 in China has not been a good one and it will impact our exports in the current fiscal,” said Vipul Shah, chairman, Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council.