Mysuru/Mysore: Just like any other field or sector, the Coronavirus scare has hit fruit business in city badly, with sale of fruits falling sharply in the past one week.

With the onset of the summer season, fruit sellers used to do good business with people seeking to quench their thirst by drinking tender coconut, fruit juices and eating fruits like water melon, pomegranate, etc.,that were being sold by roadside. 

Lorry loads of watermelons were seen by the roadside at several places in the city just over a fortnight ago. But the deadly Coronavirus scare has become a cause of great worry for the vendors, as their sales has witnessed a dip of over 50 percent in the recent days, which is attributed to various factors such as partial lock-down announced by the Government, several regulatory measures announced by the District administration and less movement of people, due to the scare.

Lokesh, a tender coconut vendor said that things have completely changed for him following the Coronavirus scare. Just over a week ago, he used to sell about 300 tender coconuts a day. But now, he hardly sells 150 a day and as such his livelihood is under threat, he maintained and added that it will be difficult for him to make a living if this situation continues for long.

Prakash, a fruit vendor, said that with many functions and weddings in city scheduled around the summer season, he used to do good business, but now due to Coronavirus scare, less people are visiting the market, badly affecting his business.