the goan I network
MARGAO
The coronavirus scare has hit small businesses, with small traders, vendors and hawkers complaining of a slowdown in business affecting their daily earnings.
While people queued up outside wholesale rice shops in the commercial capital in the last two days to lay their hands of rice bags, the ordinary traders and the self-employed depending on small businesses for their survival have all began to feel the coronavirus heat.
Haircutting saloons, small-time food stalls and small shops engaged in trading have all reported a decline in business, especially over the last one week.
A hair-cutting saloon owner claimed that the number of customers visiting his place had gone down drastically over the last one week following the virus scare. “My normal earnings in a day were pegged at around Rs 1000-2000, but now I find it hard to earn even Rs 500 a day. Things have changed for people
like me”.
He pointed out that it would be difficult to make both ends meet if the situation persists as the scare has failed to subside so far.
One could hear similar stories from wada-pav vendors at Margao’s old bus stand which plays host to fast food stalls. The vendors maintained that business has hit a downslide since the coronavirus scare has hit the state, the country and the world. “No doubt, we get regular customers, but the number has certainly gone down after the scare. It is clear that people are afraid of moving around in public places and consuming outside food,” a vendor said.
In fact, the wada-pav vendors were seen cooking the food items only in limited quantities to avoid wastage.
Margao’s New Market, the nerve centre of the commercial capital, is reeling under the coronavirus scare. With businesses already on the downslide due to the host of economic factors, including GST, traders have begun to feel the coronavirus heat.
Says President of Madgaum New Market Traders Association, Vinod Shirodkar: “There’s a definite slow-down in the business witnessed in the New Market since the coronavirus scare spread far and wide. We have observed that the number of people visiting the market area has come down over the last one week. If the situation does not improve, we apprehend that the number of customers visiting the market may fall further”.
Shirodkar said the New Market is ready and willing to cooperate with the government agencies to implement safety measures, both for the traders and their staff as well as the customers. “We may require little government help to implement the measures. Some of the traders have purchased face masks for them and their staff. We can cover all the market traders and the staff with help from the government,” Shirodkar added.
Small-time cold drink stalls selling fresh lime, milk and other fruit shakes have also reported a decline in the number of customers visiting their establishments in the last few days.
