Essential service providers in Visakhapatnam step up to COVID-19 crisis

As the whole country has gone under a 21-day lockdown, doctors, paramedics, police, municipal staff, and many other frontline workers in Vizag, have been working round the clock to contain the spread of the coronavirus. While many of us are sitting at the comfort of our homes and maintaining social distancing, it’s due to the collective efforts of the essential service providers in Visakhapatnam.

From the friendly neighbourhood grocery storekeeper to the local pharmacist in Visakhapatnam, these essential service providers are our saviours. They are making our lives a tad bit easier, despite the ongoing pandemic. Yo! Vizag interacts with a few of them from the city, while they share how they are dealing with the current situation.

Harish Sonthalia, Mohan Medical Shop

“It was in the third week of March that we observed a shift in demand, specifically for masks and sanitizers. However, it was, post the announcement of Janata Curfew when other sales also shot up. Amidst the uncertainty, everyone is now trying to stock up regular pharmaceutical drugs for the next 2- 3 months. Black marketing is becoming rampant too. While the government tries to keep a check, increased hoarding and hiked prices makes the situation even difficult. Procuring supplies is difficult, with limited manufacturing and stalled courier and transportation services. for the wellbeing of customers and our staff, we are insisting on maintaining a 6 feet distance from the counter but sometimes people jump their turn and push each other. Despite all this, our employees have volunteered to show up each day for smooth operations.”

Madhu, Mudunuru Milk

“Our brand of milk is called ‘Naturally Healthy’ and we produce 500 litres milk on an average every day. This is distributed through 20 touch points in some areas of the city. However, after the Janata curfew and lockdown, we are facing new challenges. Not all staff is able to come, as some do not want to expose themselves to the virus. Also, milk delivery boys are being stopped by police at the various barricades. While they are allowed to go when delivering milk packets, when they’re returning or travelling to work from home, the police are stopping them. I feel that the 21-day lockdown may get extended, as the virus will only spread more in the coming days. We are taking all necessary precautions, by giving masks, gloves and sanitizers to our workers. We are also giving extra incentives to the staff that is showing up. As we are end to end providers of milk, we manage our own dairy farm too. While animal fodder is currently available, I fear that effects on any backward and forward linkages in our supply chain will impact us too.”

Srujan Kumar, Balaramayya Best Price

“We have a departmental store in MVP colony with a strong customer base. When Janata curfew was being announced, as a precaution, we shut down from March 17 itself. However, after the lockdown announcement and the suppliers of the essentials, being exempted from the same, we opened the shop again. We observed a sudden increase in the number of customers., as many started stocking groceries for up to 4 months. Demands rose but procurement from our suppliers has been challenging. During these rush hours, we deemed best to launch an app for online purchases from April 1, 2020, as we anticipated the effects of the pandemic to last for over 4-8 months. Although this app was in the pipeline, we thought It best to update and launch it now. Keeping the staff’s health in mind, we have asked only those to come in, who live nearby. Orders are now being taken online, with a 24 hours processing window where once the order is placed, we confirm on call. The customers are asked to pick their orders the next morning. Walk-ins are being allowed only to add something to the existing order. However, we are door delivering the products, to senior citizens and differently-abled customers, with no distance restraint. Efforts from the government have been laudable and I feel that guarded barricades on each road will help curb avoidable movement which is usually seen in the latter half of a day.”