MUSCAT: Abubacker has been running business in Seeb Souq for the last 36-years and for the first time, he had to live without any income after his shops inside the iconic commercial market were closed for nearly three months to contain the spread of coronavirus.
“I came to Oman in 1974 and I have never seen anything like this happen here. There were small crisis earlier but we surpassed all of it but this one (coronavirus) we don’t know how long it will continue. But we are confident that we will pass these tough times,” Abubacker said with a smile.
Governments around the world are in crisis mode, “waging war” against the coronavirus on two fronts: containing the spread of the pandemic through social distancing and mitigating the resulting economic fallout.
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“Under the able guidance of His Majesty, Oman has already created an Economic Committee to evaluate the crisis and that is a positive step towards reviving our economy,” Abubacker said.
Abubacker owns 6 shops in oman of which five are in Seeb and one in Sohar. “When I started business in Seeb, there were hardly any shops in Seeb. It was almost empty. But now there are hundreds of shops within Seeb Souq itself. But looking at it during this crisis, I really feel hurt but all of us here are confident that we will get back to normal,” Abubacker said.
However, the coronavirus cases in Seeb has surged in the recent weeks as the total cases has touched 12,324 on Monday. “The government is doing its best to control the numbers and but we as citizens and residents must also support them in reducing these cases by following the preventive measures,” Abubacker said.
Abubacker who manages 28 employees across his six outlets also has an advice for fellow merchants in the country. “All of us are going through tough times and some of your shops maybe still closed. Hold on to yourself. Don’t lose hope. We have to fight to survive this pandemic. Tomorrow, you will see a new light, a new hope. I am sure you will succeed if you can survive these testing times. This, too, shall pass. We will surely bounce back,” he added.
