“The only thing nice about summer is the ice cream and other frozen food that the customers get to enjoy. With children dragging their parents into the store to pick up the most colourful ice cream and shakes from an assorted variety, our faces used to light up serving them. It was more than just a business. It was an opportunity to spread a smile on a person’s face. After all, young or old, everyone does like a nice dessert at the end of the day! However, this year’s summer has been different. The smiles turned upside down and so did the fate of our business.

While in most years, the business we do during the summer months match up or meet what we make during the rest of the months, COVID- 19 has been an unpleasant surprise this year. Right from the fear of stepping out, to the outbreak of a few positive cases in the national capital from delivery personnel, all feel like heavy rains in our parade. Today ordering food from outside, especially desserts, seem daunting due to the panic that the flu-like symptoms spread faster in a colder environment.

Despite the food business being one of the essential services, there’s limited permission to keep the outlet open. And now due to the lack of workers, in most days, it’s just a small team of us, dragging beyond our regular work hours, with the hope that at least one customer might walk in. The desperation has reached a point where making profits is no longer the goal. The aim is now to not catch the virus and just make enough to pay our staff and feed our families.

With all this, the hope of a better tomorrow does seem gloomy, but I sincerely pray that the new phase of the lockdown brings in a change and the new normal provides us with a means to survive!”

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