Over 5,500 persons, mostly textile
traders and their employees, were asked to stay in home quarantine on Wednesday after a 62-year-old man who worked in a textile market tested positive for coronavirus.
All those who came in contact with the COVID-19 patient could have been infected, and therefore they were asked to isolate themselves at home for 14 days, said Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani.
The person who tested positive on Wednesday worked for a trader who had his shop at the Radha Krishna Textile Market, one of the largest wholesale textile hubs in the city.
The market has over 2,000 shops, and as per a rough estimate, around 10,000 persons, including traders, employees, labourers and customers, visit it every day.
"We have identified 5,537 persons who may have come in contact with this man. They either live near his house or work at the Radha Krishna Market," said Pani.
"We have sent a message asking all of them to stay indoors and observe home quarantine strictly, as they might be carrying the virus. They must not leave their houses," the commissioner added.
Another official said the patient did not have any history of foreign travel, and developed symptoms after returning from Kolkata earlier this month.
Of the 39 cases of coronavirus in Gujarat, Surat now has seven.
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