Small establishments have taken the brunt of COVID-19. A few months of relaxations did not help them to recoup the huge losses incurred during the first lockdown and the second one is the final nail in the coffin for many.
M.K. Ismail from Balussery had a publishing business of mostly religious books, which he used to sell at public meetings. But with restrictions on such gatherings, he is unable to fend for his small family. “This lockdown is not like the previous one. The first time we had some savings, enough to manage for a few months. This one came when we least expected,” he says.
Families in dire straits
Vineetha T.’s tailoring shop at Koyenco Bazaar was a means of income for four families, all of whom are in dire straits now. Vineetha herself manages to survive at the mercy of her daughter, whose salary as the employee of a construction firm has been cut by half.
Mumtaz O.V. and her husband, who had run a small bunk selling snacks at Mananchira, are now living at the mercy of her father, who too is struggling to find jobs as a painter.
Neither of the three could find an alternative means of income due to the lockdown curbs.
However, all of them have stories of heavy debt that need to be cleared soon. “Bankers have started calling asking for loan repayments. We have come so far. I don’t know the way forward,” says Vineetha.
The absence of income has affected the livelihood of most shop workers. “We get free ration and food kits. Besides, there are people who help in a non-financial way. We will not die of hunger but the tension of debt will kill us, if we do not get back to our jobs soon,” says Mumtaz.
