January 22,2021
In the wake of government’s announcement that there will be a two week partial lock down as a result of COVID 19 spike, A-Z Business Desk has been gauging the views of the business community on what are the apprehensions and expectation in the prevailing circumstance.
Mabinty Kargbo, Petty Trader
“We are already in a state of panic, because most of the things we are selling come from the provinces. And because vehicles have been ordered not come from the princes to the city, we are expecting a serious challenge.
For example, things that are sold at le200, 000 will go to le250, 000 just for the current situation.
She said that this will affect everybody as well as the economy
Dennis Mustapha-Shop Supervisor-Noreska Foods, 106 Campbell Street, Freetown.
“We started hearing this as a rumour. When we heard the news finally, we were not happy about the two weeks lockdown especially for us with Bars and Restaurants that are going to operate on weekends.”
He said the curfew will be their biggest challenge as it will drop the customer base drastically.
He said they have started sensing drop in sales already in the working days; and the weekends that has now been outlawed is making matters worse for them.
Dennis said Government should have just targeted the beaches not them because no one sees large crowds in their entertainment joints and they have been maintaining some level of social distancing.
With these new measures this will also affect us in terms of paying our taxes.
He said because of the unfolding situation, our employer is considering salary cuts for the days that we are not working, the weekends. “This is really not easy at all,” he said.
He prays that the COVID-19 is mitigated so that normalcy can return.
He made a grim projection that in this partial lockdown, prices of food stuff will especially rise.
Fatmata Sesay, Petty Trader at Congo Market, Freetown
“We are not happy about this lockdown especially with the curfew that is attached to it.” This will make prices of goods to spike and we will have a lot of constraints in terms of doing our businesses.
She said we became panic when the news broke. NaCOVERC did not inform us very earlier.
She added that these new measures, will affect the economy to a large extent and smuggling of goods will be the other of the day, leading to galloping inflation.
She appealed to the Government that next time let them inform the poor earlier, “because we suffer more than the big people and those working…”
She expressed hope and prayer that the virus will be defeated soon.
Mabinty Samura, Fruit seller, Congo Market, Freetown.
“The business people will use this as an opportunity to suffer the consumers and prices of goods will rise.”
She said “things will be difficult for us with small capital and it will affect as well as our day to day living.”
She however observed that it is price we have to pay as nation in the national emergency commends the government for not taking chances in dropping the rising cases of COVID 19 in the country.
