KOCHI: When authorities were talking about containment and flattening the curve, large markets and fishing hamlets in the state, quite unwittingly, became the hubs of community spread forcing the government to declare them containment zones.Now, larger markets in almost all districts are closed just as merchants were looking to recoup the losses suffered due to the initial lockdown. But merchants said if lockdown is the only way to contain the spread, they will not oppose a complete shutdown. “Market is the backbone of a locality’s economy. This is where essential items are brought in bulk and distributed among retailers. No wonder then that markets turned out to be the hotspot in spreading the infection,” said Kerala Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce(KMCC) President G Karthikeyan.
Ernakulam is an example of how the infection spread from the main market to other areas. “After the first lockdown was lifted, markets in the district saw a huge rush of buyers and sellers. Even though restrictions were in place, outsiders gathered in large numbers especially in places where essential items like grocery, fruits and vegetables were off-loaded and sold to the retail merchants,” he said.The situation couldn’t be controlled as Kerala depends on other states for the perishable and non-perishable commodities, he said.
“In the Ernakulam market, which was shut for 24 days after detection of Covid positive cases, merchants lost more than `5 crore,” said Karthikeyan. “When it comes to the safety of the people, we think that lockdown is the only answer. Not a total lockdown, but something along the lines of creating containment zones and clusters. However, if total shutdown is the only way forward, then we will not oppose it,” he said.Karthikeyan said that since the business is low, the government can intervene to lessen the burden of merchants.
“The government can either get the building owners to waive off the rent or it can waive off the tax levied on the rent from landlords,” said Karthikeyan. “A year-long rent waiver will be a great help to the sector.”
Truck owners, an integral part of the supply chain, are worried that another round of lockdown will hit them very hard. “Of course, the business is down. And if a lockdown is imposed again, it won’t be good for us,” said Anup K B, president, Kerala Registered Truck Owners Association. “But, looking at the rapid increase in Covid cases, we feel that lockdown may be the only option left for the government. And if the government imposes shutdown, we will welcome it,” he said.
“However, it needs to be understood that lockdown will not impact the trucks transporting essential items just as in the first phase of lockdown. Of course, there were some hassles like getting passes and going into a 14-day quarantine, which dissuaded many truckers from coming here,” said Anup. If the government is thinking of implementing a statewide lockdown, then it should ensure that the truckers get valid passes so that the transport of essential items is not halted, he added.
One sector still facing the brunt of closed borders is the inter-state carriers. “We have already shut our services and many of us have turned our buses into vegetable vending shops or thattukadas on wheels,” said Manoj Padikkal, president, Kerala Inter-state Bus Owners’ Association.