What will Happen to Street Vendors During the Pandemic?

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Governor's offices and municipalities should aid street vendors during the coronavirus pandemic, says Dr. Osman Sirkeci, a finance expert working on the street economy.

Turkey's working population is slightly more than 28 million, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). Six million, or more than a fifth of the working population, are street vendors, Sirkeci says. "When we look at the gross national product calculations, we see a similar picture, 30 percent of the income is unrecorded."

"Today, many people lost their jobs and regular income. Therefore, the street economy is gaining more importance in these conditions. Street vendors still come to the rescue of the poor and low-income citizens. Our citizens, who cannot afford the products sold in the shops, are choosing them.

"These sellers go to poor neighborhoods where there is not even a market. These people meet the needs of the elderly and the patients who cannot go out. Regardless of the epidemic, whether they are citizens of the country or migrant recycling employees, they still bring the waste to the economy."

However, due to precautions to curb the spread of the disease, some of them cannot work, Sirkeci notes. The government imposed a curfew for those older than 65 and younger than 20. In addition, some cities banned waste picking, offering aid to waste pickers instead.

Some can neither work nor receive aid

Yet there are many street workers who can neither work nor receive aid, he says.

"What will these people do? People who make a living from this kind of peddling usually have very old, scrap carts, they carry their goods with them, and they make a living with daily income. Currently, none of them can work and receive social assistance because of these carts registered on them.

"We are talking about six million people. Unprotected waste picking should be prevented, if not, durable gloves and masks should be distributed. Those who are temporarily stopped waste picking should be granted the right to free use of food, electricity and water as much as the minimum consumption amount and minimum cash aid should be provided for them."

Street vendors as "health ambassadors"

"In a meeting in Washington on March 14 that was attended by 'Los Vengadores Unidos' representatives and regional health authorities, it was discussed that street vendors could be public health ambassadors against the coronavirus outbreak if they were trained and informed correctly. Because they evaluate the needs of the people in the areas where they work and sell products accordingly. They know the deficiencies the best.

"The police's treatment of street vendors and street vendor-friendly laws were also discussed. In Turkey, such applications should be followed without delay." (UA/SO/VK)