States are taking action to extend workers’ compensation coverage to include first responders and health care workers impacted by COVID-19. A common approach is to amend state policy so that COVID-19 infections in certain workers are presumed to be work-related and covered under workers’…

The UK Government has announced £20 million of new funding to support small businesses as they recover from COVID-19.

Small and medium sized businesses in England can access grants of up to £5,000 to put towards the cost of new equipment,technology and specialist advice.

Nearly 50,000 Los Angeles families hurt by the economic and health fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic could get help from a $100-million rent relief program passed by the City Council on Tuesday.

The money would provide up to $2,000 in rental assistance for low-income households who have…

From 3 August onwards,retail businesses can apply for financial assistance from the government.

The amount of assistance is 1,000 euros per employee for the month of July,750 euros per employee for the month of August and 500 euros per employee for the month of September. This aid…

Illinois regulators approved a wide-ranging COVID-19 utility relief agreement Thursday that extends the state’s moratorium on utility service shut-offs until at least late July and provides nearly $50 million to help customers pay overdue bills.

As part of the deal,Illinois utilities will…

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday the country's 320,000 homecare workers would each be granted a COVID-19 bonus of 500 euros,a package worth 160 million euros (144.3 million pounds).

The French state would put up 80 million euros and the local governments the other…

Michigan: State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks Wednesday announced two new grant programs that will provide an overall total of $300 million to help first responders receive premium hazard pay and reimburse local governments for payroll costs incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The First…

Flemish Government: Flemish businesses losing at least 60% of their turnover to the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis are to benefit from a new support mechanism announced by the regional government.

The measure,announced on Friday,covers the period from 1 August to 30 September,but…

A new rent relief program launched Tuesday that provides subsidies to eligible low-income New Yorkers financially affected by the coronavirus pandemic. First signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last month,the assistance program helps low-income households experiencing increased rent burden due…

The federal government has temporarily set a minimum unemployment rate of 13.1 per cent to calculate employment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those people living in regions with an unemployment rate lower than that threshold will have their EI benefits calculated at…

A pair of state grant funds in Michigan totaling $115 million launches today as another source of financial assistance for small businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $100 million Small Business Restart Program will provide grants of up to $20,000 to small businesses and…

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance K Peter Turnquest has announced the expansion of the unemployment assistance programme for self-employed persons outside of the tourism sector. They too will receive a benefit payment of $200 per weeks for the length of the quarantine period which at…

Prime Minister launched the disbursement of BDT 12.5bn (approx. USD 142m) cash aid for 5 million poor families. Each family will get BDT 2,500 (USD 30) cash through mobile financial services (MFSs).

An entitlement to two weeks’ unpaid pandemic leave has been introduced for private sector state system employees. New flexibility provisions enabling employers and employees to agree to an employee taking twice as much annual leave at half pay or to agree for the employee to take annual leave in…

The Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) provides financial support to post-secondary students,and recent post-secondary and high school graduates who are unable to find work due to COVID-19.

This benefit is for students who do not qualify for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (…

The Hong Kong government will,through the Hong Kong employers,cover 50% of employees’ salaries for six months. The subsidy for each Hong Kong employee will be capped at HKD 9,000.

The Employment Support Scheme (“ESS”) - as this measure was called - is estimated to cover 260,000 Hong Kong…

The Special Plan to Support the Unemployed is addressed to any person who is registered as a regular unemployed person in its Employment Service Register and received unemployment benefits,for which he has exhausted the right to be paid either in January,February,March,April 2020,May 2020,or…

The government on Thursday announced it would spend A$1.5 billion ($1.1 billion) to substantially extend a program to subsidise the wages of apprentices. The funds will more than double the number of apprentice workers covered,to around 180,000 across all industries and to run until March next…

Cabinet on Wednesday approved measures set to support the economy until October in light of the coronavirus pandemic with a budget of €150 million.

The four schemes offer wage subsidies to support employers in specific sectors impacted by COVID-19. Special attention is given to the…

The V.I. Department of Human Services is offering working parents and guardians relief during the COVID-19 pandemic via a Federal Block Grant program that provides a child care subsidy for children up to 12 years old.
At Tuesday’s Senate Finance Committee hearing,Human Services Assistant…

The Pretoria high court judge Selby Baqwa ruled on 19 June that the R350 Special Covid-19 social relief grant be extended to asylum seekers and special permit holders from Lesotho,Angola and Zimbabwe.

The families of all frontline healthcare workers who died from Covid-19 while carrying out their duties will be eligible for a retrospective compensation package,Health Minister Stephen Donnelly announced tonight.

The National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) on Monday announced a US$10 million Nafa Quick package aimed at contributing to the mitigation of the social and economic impact of COVID-19 on the population.
Nafa Quick is a government programme with the objectives of providing cash transfers (D1,500…

There is a new apprenticeship incentivisation scheme which will provide a €2,000 payment to support employers to take on new apprenticeships in 2020.
This is part of July stimulus package,the largest-ever cash injection for Irish economy (more than €5 billion in cash,along with €2 billion…

The Government has opened applications to the Restart Grant Plus Scheme,which aims to help SMEs adapt and reopen following Covid-19 restrictions.
In this new round of the Restart Grant Plus Scheme,SMEs will now be able to apply for grants of between €4,000 and €25,000 as they reopen or…