Several popular outlets like Annapoorna hotel and Mahaveer silks on Coimbatore’s prime commercial centre Cross Cut road were forced to shut down after a spurt of COVID-19 cases from the area. On Monday, at least 15 employees working in various establishments on Cross Cut road tested positive for the virus, prompting around 40 shops to shut temporarily.
According to officers in Coimbatore Corporation, Selvasingh departmental store on Cross Cut Road, Gandhipuram was sealed on Monday after 10 staff members tested positive for the virus. All the employees in the store were made to undergo the RT-PCR test after one employee initially tested positive. Of them, nine others were confirmed to have COVID-19. The Corporation officials sealed the shop and requested whoever had visited the store to get themselves tested for the virus. As a precautionary measure, Ramraj cotton showroom next to the departmental store has also been shut down. Four employees from a few other stores nearby have also tested positive for the virus.
Similarly, one staff member working at the Annapoorna hotel in Gandhipuram’s Lakshmi Complex tested positive for the virus on Monday, following which the entire complex was sealed by the authorities. Around 45 employees of the hotel were made to undergo RT-PCR testing and are awaiting results.
A few days ago, over 50 staff members of Kalyan Jewellers in Gandhipuram tested positive for coronavirus. The establishments that have shut down due to the spurt in COVID-19 cases on Cross Cut road will be fumigated and sanitised by the corporation before reopening for the public.
On Monday, Tamil Nadu reported 5,967 new COVID-19 cases of which Coimbatore accounted for 387. The district now has 3,143 persons undergoing treatment for COVID-19. While 338 patients were discharged on recovery on Monday, the district also reported that seven persons have died due to COVID-19 on Monday.