Almost half a year since the pandemic lockdown, families are still struggling to put food on the table and while a COVID-19 vaccine could be a major breakthrough, there is skepticism as it relates to possible side effects.
When Stabroek News reached out to residents of New Scheme, Patentia, many were still grappling with the impact of the worldwide crisis, some were still without steady jobs as well as being the sole breadwinners of their homes.
Naresh Mathur is an unemployed 50-year-old resident who has a wife to support. His children are all grown and living abroad. He says his struggles began several years ago after working out of his mobile shop for a number of years. Business started to slow down and he came to the conclusion that it was too much of a risk investing financially and not making a proper profit at the end of the day. He decided to park his truck three years ago then later, he made the decision to sell his vehicle. Since then he has been relying on whatever savings he had as well as the support of his children.
