The Karnataka Government’s decision to extend weekend and night curfew till the end of January has come as a huge blow to the more vulnerable sections of society who don’t have the luxury of working from home. Among daily wage workers, drivers and construction labourers, there’s a grim sense of deja vu amidst fears of another lockdown – something they cannot afford.

There is severe opposition to any lockdown among these sections.

G. Narayana, an auto driver who lost his vehicle as he was unable to repay his loan and shifted to selling items on the street, said that restrictions and another lockdown will see many people go hungry. Echoing the views of others in a similar position, he questioned the logic of a lockdown. “During the last two years, lockdowns did not help avoid deaths. If we die, it’s our fate. But don’t snatch our work,” he said.

Recently, a clip showing an old woman making a similar argument to a Kannada news channel had gone viral.

Studies have shown that during the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, despite special support packages from the Karnataka Government, vulnerable sections of society were more prone to malnutrition, with many forced to ration meals. The Government of Karnataka had provided ₹1,610 crore relief assistance in 2020 and ₹1,250 crore assistance in 2021, which was criticised as ‘not enough’.

“Any lockdown, including weekend curfews, has to be accompanied with an adequate relief package. A lockdown without assistance is inhuman and will be opposed tooth and nail,” said Vinay Sreenivasa, advocate and activist working with the urban poor.

Tanveer Pasha, president, Ola Uber Taxi Drivers and Owners’ Association, said the argument of people like Mr. Narayana only reflects the dire situation and the desperation to work and earn a livelihood. “Work from home, night and weekend curfew have already slashed our business by more than half. Another lockdown will remove thousands of autos and cabs off the roads. Many will be pushed to destitution and a debt trap,” he said, adding any relief assistance should not only include Direct Cash Transfer (DCT), but also relief from loans and interest, home rent and other such financial obligations.

Hotel and retail industries have already gone through several rounds of job loss.

“Business was slowly picking up and we had taken our workers back, but now again the process has been disrupted,” said Chandrashekhar Hebbar, president, Karnataka Regional Hotel and Restaurants’ Federation.

Those in the garment sector and migrant labourers are also worried about the uncertainty.

Brij Mohan Das had left Bengaluru on foot for his hometown in Bihar during the national lockdown in 2020. He returned a few months later and now works as a carpenter. “The first lockdown in 2020 was extremely bad, as we were trapped in Bengaluru with nobody to care for us. Many of us starved, forcing us to go back to our villages… some on foot because public transport was not available. Many from my village now fear the city and haven’t come back. But there are no jobs back home. I was in Bengaluru during the lockdown in 2021 as well. That period was slightly better as the contractor of the project I was working on took care of me. I fear that if cases continue to rise, I may not be so lucky again,” he said.