Business dull, vendors worried as Covid clampdown imposed

KOCHI: With the government imposing fresh set of restrictions in the wake of a second Covid wave, the small scale vendors, especially those at Ernakulam market, are worried about their livelihood. 

“Complete lockdown was imposed during the same period last year, and many of us were struggling to earn a penny. This year also the sale is very poor. The sale on the day preceding the festival is less compared to pre-Covid times,” said Saju K, a vegetable vendor at the market. Saju said he used to sell 10-30kg stock of each vegetable during the festival season in pre-Covid times. “Now, hardly 10kg is being sold. With new stricter restrictions imposed in the state, we are concerned about our future,” said the 47-year-old vendor.

“The business is yet to pick up pace after the first lockdown,” said K Samson, a textile staff at Broadway. “I have been working here for the past six years. This is not how the market looks especially during festival season. The vendors here are anxious about the surge in Covid cases as the business is already dull. Several vendors had to leave the market and find other means of livelihood during the first lockdown,” he said.

Meanwhile, the crowding in markets and textile shops is ringing alarm bells among the health officials as the district reported 1,162 new cases on Tuesday, while the test positivity rate stood at 10.23 per cent.