Covid-19 boosts burqa sales in Kendrapada

KENDRAPADA: The coronavirus situation has led to increased burqa sales in Kendrapada town. More and more Muslim women and girls are choosing to wear the burqa to protect their faces, eyes, nose and mouth against the novel coronavirus.
At least 10 tailors of Kendrapada town and its nearby areas are busy stitching burqas in their houses.
With workshops closed because of the earlier state-wide and now nation-wide lockdown, they have moved their work equipment home.A burqa can cost anything from Rs 500 to Rs 1500. Now, many tailors are selling them for double their price to eager customers.
“Many Muslim men have resorted to wearing masks and gloves to protect themselves. For the women, the burqa acts as a natural defence against germ-carrying droplets. Most burqas even have a net lining for the eyes, so the demand for the garment has spiked,” said SK Akbar, a tailor in Tendakuda.
“We stitch different sized burqas for women and girls. Usually, they sell at dismal prices. Sales are ordinarily slack, except during Eid and the marriage season. But Covid-19 has boosted the sale of the burqa like nothing else,” said Mohammad Sahid, a tailor of Kendrapada. Tailors have been working round the clock for the past two weeks to earn more by making hundreds of burqas. “Stitching of burqas is a seasonal business. Many don’t know how to do it. Those that do are making a profit now,” said Sk Amiruddin, also of Kendrapada.
The district is experiencing a shortage of three-layered anti-bacterial face masks. “It’s crucial for people to wear proper protective gear. Though masks are better, wearing a burqa is better than going out with the face uncovered. Burqas also help women maintain a distance from others,” said Ananda Gopal Mohanty, a doctor attached to the district headquarters hospital.