Cabinet announces new COVID-19 relief program

The Cabinet’s latest round of COVID-19 relief measures has been expanded to benefit a total of 7.3 million people in Taiwan, underscoring the government’s commitment to protecting the people amid the largest domestic outbreak since the pandemic began, according to the Executive Yuan June 3.

Amendments to the Special Act for Prevention, Relief and Revitalization Measures for Severe Pneumonia with Novel Pathogens were approved by the Legislature May 31, Premier Su Tseng-chang said. The changes raised the budget for related relief measures to NT$840 billion (US$30.37 billion) and extended the duration of the legislation for another year to June 30, 2022, he added.

Su made the remarks during a news conference held following a briefing by the National Development Council regarding the coronavirus situation in Taiwan.

Under the newly announced measures, those who applied for relief subsidies last year and are eligible can expect to have access to funding beginning June 4, NDC Minister Kung Ming-hsin said. First-time applicants can apply online starting June 7, he added.

According to Kung, the childrearing household subsidy of NT$10,000 per child has been expanded to include families with children younger than elementary school age, and those who have children with physical or mental disabilities up to high-school age or in the first three years of junior college.

Self-employed workers and those who have no definite employer that pay labor insurance on more than NT$24,000 will receive a subsidy of NT$10,000, Kung said. Temporary workers outside of the agricultural and fishery industries that have no labor insurance are eligible for a relief subsidy of NT$10,000 to NT$30,000, he added.

Furthermore, creative industry workers who are self-employed and those who have no definite employer; taxi drivers and tour bus drivers; and tour guides and tour group leaders are to receive a subsidy of NT$30,000 distributed over three months, Kung said, adding visually impaired massage workers are to receive NT$45,000 over three months.

For latest COVID-19 relief measures: https://pse.is/3kque2
COVID-19 relief measures related website link: https://pse.is/3jlbl5

〔Original : Taiwan Today〕
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