COVID-19 has affected the incomes of some health professionals by reducing demand for care and increasing expenditures for treatment preparedness. In a survey of 14 European countries, we found that most countries have incentivised substitutive e-health services to avoid loss of income. Health professionals have also received financial compensation for loss of income either through initiatives specifically designed for the health sector or general selfemployment schemes, and have either been reimbursed for extra COVID-19-related expenditures such as personal protective equipment (PPE) or had these provided in kind. Compensation is generally funded from health budgets, complemented by emergency funding from government revenue.

OpenGov Asia (01.12.2020) The pandemic has fundamentally changed lifestyles and thought processes across the world. There is a paradigm shift in the way people now interact with each other. With social distancing becoming the new norm, citizens are increasingly becoming dependent on technology to communicate and interact among themselves. In order to help public sector utilise digital applications and APIs to enhance service delivery and get digital transformation right, OpenGov Asia hosted an OpenGovLive! Virtual Breakfast Insight with delegates from various public sector organisations in Indonesia.

Gov.pl website (02.12.2020) Insured persons in quarantine or isolation (including at home) are entitled to sickness benefits. In principle, you do not need to submit a declaration to receive the benefit. The IT system of the e-Health Center is a system from which the Social Insurance Institution obtains information about the imposed quarantine or isolation and places it on the Electronic Services Platform (PUE ZUS) . It is seen both by the insured and his employer. In many cases, this information is enough for an isolated sick person or staying in quarantine to receive the remuneration he is entitled to for the time of illness or sickness benefit. However, if there is no information on the PUE ZUS platform, an employee should submit a short statement to his/her employer within 3 days.  

Gov.pl website (26.11.2020) PFR 2.0 Financial Shield for micro-enterprises - up to PLN 3 billion of support

• For companies employing from 1 to 9 employees from 38 industries from the Polish Classification of Activities
• Turnover or balance sheet total for 2019 up to EUR 2 million
• Financial subsidies - 18 thousand. PLN or 36 thousand. PLN per employee
• Subsidies up to a maximum amount of PLN 324 thousand PLN
• The amount of the subsidy depends on the number of employees and the decrease in turnover
• For companies that recorded a turnover decrease in 2020 by at least 30% due to COVID-19
• Non-returnable funds, provided that the business is maintained and employment is maintained for 12 months
• Application deadline: January - February 2021 (after the approval of the European Commission)