COVID-19 or Coronavirus Disease is an airborne disease which has till date affected millions of people throughout the globe. This disease is caused by a virus of Coronavirus family that is, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome – Coronavirus - 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Right after being detected first in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei, China it became contagious soon after and was declared as Pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO) on 30th January, 2020. Since then the virus has taken over the entire globe sparing no geography. Economies slowed down and businesses struggled because of sudden lockdown announcement by the governments worldwide. Textile industry was no exception. Surat houses around 7,00,000 looms, 400 processing houses and more than 50,000 traders (South Gujarat Information Technologists Association, 2021). Restrictions on movement of people and goods have affected businesses in textile industry badly. This is a descriptive study, undertaken to explore the factors affecting textile businesses in the Surat City. The objective of the study was:

• To identify factors affecting Textile Businesses of Surat City during COVID-19 Pandemic.

A structured and non disguised questionnaire was designed as an instrument to collect data. A total of 100 businesses (Manufacturers, Traders and Retailers) were surveyed electronically. The study found Government Regulations (Lockdown/Quarantine/Travel Restrictions), Shortage of Demand, Shortage of Transport services, Difficulty in paying rents and Shortage of Liquidity were the main factors affecting Textile businesses of Surat City during COVID-19 Pandemic.

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Keywords: COVID-19, Pandemic, Textile Industry, WHO, SARS-CoV-2.