Abstract:

The study focuses on life and livelihood of the street vendors in Dhaka City during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an empirical study based on observation and in-depth interview. Thirteen street vendors were purposively selected and interviewed by using semi-structured questions. The fieldwork of the study has been conducted at the New Market area of Dhaka South City Corporation. This study reveals that in the initial phase of the pandemic, the street vendors had to keep their businesses closed for months in response to lockdown and to avoid health risks. Lockdown became a severe burden for them and left no option for generating income. In order to combat the economic crisis during the rigorous lockdown they have undertaken different survival strategies which includes spending savings, taking loans from informal sources, and availing financial supports from the parents. When government exempted the lockdown, the vendors have returned to work despite the health risk to avoid the situation of further impoverished and starvation.

Kazi, S. H., & Mia, M. J. (2021). Street Vending during COVID-19: A View from Dhaka City. Journal of Sociology, 11(1), 105–122. University of Dhaka.