Government has green-lighted a VND61,580 billion social welfare package for people most affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic to help them stabllise their lives.

Beneficiaries of the package will include people who rendered great services to the nation, poor and near-poor households, laid-off workers, individual traders forced to suspend operation, and businesses having half the workforce laid off. They will receive the assistance once within three months to make ends meet. 

Businesses that face a three-month layoff will be eligible for bank loans with a zero interest rate to pay their workers.  

The money will be sourced from both State and local budgets. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc says people mostly affected by the COVID-19
epidemic must be assisted immediately to survive the difficult time

The State must, by all means, support those who are most vulnerable to the COVID-19 epidemic to ensure no one is left hungry, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a Cabinet meeting in Hanoi on April 5. 

The implementation of this policy will also contribute to shoring up the labour force and serve as a driving force behind the country’s socio-economic development in the coming time, he stressed. 

The PM asked relevant ministries and agencies, especially the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Welfare, to gather opinions and finalise a draft decree on implementation of the policy for submission to authorized bodies. 

He also asked the ministries and agencies to draw up plans for implementing the policy to ensure the assistance must be delivered to the right beneficiaries.

According to the Prime Minister Phuc, after the VND61,580 billion social welfare package is disbursed, the government will discuss ways to remove hurdles in production and business activities and boost public investments.