Covid-19: One-off payment of up to S$700 for workers in sectors hit by tightened community restrictions
To qualify for the Covid-19 Recovery Grant (Temporary), workers in the retail sector, for instance, must have had at least one month of involuntary no-pay leave, or income loss of at least 50 per cent, May 16 to June 30.
SINGAPORE — Lower- to middle-income and self-employed employees who have been financially affected by the tightened community restrictions may apply for a one-off payment of up to S$700 to help them during this period.
These affected workers would include those in the food-and-beverage industry, retail, arts, and sport and fitness sectors, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said in a statement on Friday (May 28).
To qualify for the Covid-19 Recovery Grant (Temporary), individuals must have had at least one month of involuntary no-pay leave, or income loss of at least 50 per cent, during the period from May 16 to June 30.
Eligible workers who were placed on involuntary no-pay leave could receive a one-time payout of up to S$700, while those who have had a significant loss of income may receive a one-off payout of up to S$500.
Applications will be open from June 3 to July 2. More details will be announced at a later date by the Ministry of Social and Family Development.
Separately, the Ministry of Education said that it will be extending the suspension of loan repayment and interest charges by another four months from May 31 to Sept 30.
Previously, it had suspended the payments and interest charges for tuition fee loans, study loans and overseas student programme loans for all autonomous university and polytechnic graduates for a year to alleviate the impact of the pandemic on graduates.
MOF said in its latest statement that this will give graduates more time to find a stable financial footing and to plan their finances.
The authorities last week also enhanced the Covid-19 Driver Relief Fund payout to taxi and private-hire car drivers from S$450 a month for each vehicle to S$750.
The payout will run from May 16 to June 30, MOF said, adding that the move was in response to the fall in ridership under the ongoing heightened alert phase for Covid-19 safety measures.
In aid of retailers at the airport terminals, Changi Airport Group announced recently that they would have their rental fees fully waived for the period of closure from May 13 to June 13.
