New COVID curbs hit daily wage earners hard

Those on hand-to-mouth existence remain an anxious lot with the second wave spreading fast

Life took a dark turn for 50-year-old Satheesh Kumar M.R., a visually-challenged lottery vendor, when the pandemic broke out last year. And, just when he thought things were at last looking up has come the second wave of the pandemic and the accompanying restrictions, leaving him further despondent. “Physical distancing means that people are staying away from us, badly affecting our business. In the last month alone, I suffered a loss of ₹10,000 on account of unsold tickets. The situation was already bad with low sales commission on account of the Goods and Services Tax,” said Mr. Kumar, a postgraduate who also doubles up as a percussion artiste.