Rebuilding livelihoods hit by the pandemic Those rendered jobless amid shutdowns look forward to regaining employment Some 11 months ago when Covid-19 restrictions first paralysed the metropolis, thousands of people in Karachi were left without a definitive source of income. Businesses were indefinitely shut, transport was suspended and offices resorted to mass layoffs. There seemed little hope for betterment at the time. Many among the throngs of rural-to-urban-migrants who had once moved to the financial capital in hopes of finding better opportunities, suddenly had no choice but to board the first available bus back home. However, with most restrictions eased and businesses slowly but surely opening, the financial capital appears to be finally inching towards normalcy, after what seemed like forever. Those who had left Karachi for their humble abodes, have started boarding busses back to the coastal city, in better times. Where some are confident about being re-employed by the same employer, others are hopeful about finding new avenues and opportunities.