Like almost all businesses around the globe, the small town of Gedu along the Thimphu-Phuentshogling highway in Chhukha has also been badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. With the closure of Gedu College of Business Studies and only a few travellers, the town these days remains desolate and quiet.
Gedu town which would usually be filled with people bears a different look these days. With the drop in the number of people, the business has also gone down. The most affected lot is the restaurants and hotels who rarely see customers anymore.
Small restaurants used to earn around Nu 8,000 in a day. But nowadays, they say even locals and people from nearby villages refrain from eating in restaurants. The situation has led to the closure of few restaurants in Gedu zero area, Laptsakha and near Jumja.
Dorji Yangzom, a hotelier in Gedu shares how her business is affected by the pandemic. “When the college was open, students used to come here from early morning to have breakfast. Now although we keep the hotel open, only a handful of people come to eat here. Earlier we used to earn around Nu 8000 to Nu 9000 in a day. But now we can’t even earn a few hundred. It is half past 12 and we just got the first customer who came in to have noodles,” she said.
Meanwhile, some businesses say they closed down because they fear running a hotel puts them at risk of getting infected.
Thinley, a businessman in Gedu says closing his hotel is to prevent the spread of the virus since hotels have to host so many customers where some might even be infected. “Compared to shops, hotels are at more risk. So, we voluntarily closed our hotel. Nobody told us to do it. We just wanted to play our part in containing the coronavirus pandemic. We all pray and hope that this situation is solved soon and we can all return to our normal lives,” he added.
“Business is down but we don’t feel the pinch. It is not just us, but everyone is experiencing the same situation right now. We are at least lucky to be in Bhutan where the status is much better. We are just hoping that things will turn normal soon,” added Kezang, a shopkeeper.
Grocery shops in Gedu are running as usual for now as people still come to buy essential items. There are nearly 100 shops and hotels in Gedu zero, Laptsakha and Jumja region.
Sonam Penjor
