With the lockdown being eased, some sex workers in Pune's red light area want to get back to business by taking all precautions and following the standard operating procedures to stay protected against COVID-19. The livelihood of nearly 3,000 sex workers in the Budhwar Peth area here in Maharashtra has been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown, following which several of them moved back to their hometowns, according to an NGO working for their welfare. Now, with the lockdown being relaxed, some of them are gearing up to resume work and are even ready to explore options of services like "phone sex", Tejasvi Sevekari, executive director of city-based NGO Saheli Sangh, told PTI.

She said the NGO, which is a collective of sex workers, has chalked out some standard operating procedures (SOPs) for them and is training them on how to take extra precautions while soliciting customers. All these SOPs and guidelines are for sex workers across the country who are connected through the National Network of Sex Workers, she said. "As no COVID-19 case was reported from the red light area here, the containment zone tag and barricading have been removed. While majority of the sex workers are still not ready to start their work, a handful of them have resumed business as they are facing financial crunch due to the long lockdown," said Sevekari.