stp-press.st (09.04.2020)

The São Tomé government through the Ministry of Labour and Solidarity, has decided to anticipate the payment of two bi-monthly payments [ 2,400 Dobras ] to mothers who are beneficiaries of the "Family Program" as a way to "alleviate" the negative impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic. The program involves 2,570 families (mainly mothers) in situations of extreme poverty.

Business Standard News (26.04.2020) The Union government is going to launch an online portal for the migrant workers in the unorganised sector impacted due to a national lockdown imposed to check the spread of Covid-19 in India. The portal, which has been tentatively named by the labour and employment ministry as the National Portal for Covid-19 Affected Unorganised Migrant Workers, will gather the details of all the unorganised sector workers who are stranded in relief camps, residential or industrial clusters. “The portal will allow the government to pass on relief benefits to the migrant workers — be it in the form of cash transfers or through other means,” a top labour ministry official said, requesting anonymity.

The Ministry of Labor (21.04.2020) In order to assist enterprises and workers affected by the COVID-19, the Ministry of Labor has expanded the "Charge Restart Training Program" since February 21st, subsidizing companies with training costs of up to 3.5 million yuan. The Ministry encourages enterprises to use this period to provide training with their employees . Workers participating in training courses can also receive a training allowance of RMB 158 per hour, with a maximum of 120 hours per month, and a maximum of RMB 18,960 per month.

The Ministry of Labor (27.04.2020) The Ministry of Labor relaxes eligibility of "Relaxed Real-Time Work Plan", and those with insurance records within one year can apply for the job opportunities provided by local governments and central authorities. The job includes document sorting, environmental cleaning, and epidemic prevention-related work, such as measuring temperature and disinfecting the environment. The maximum allowance is 12,640 yuan per month and maximum duration per person is 6 months.

Taiwan News (08.04.2020)Taiwan's phone-based tracking system to monitor quarantined people sought by multiple countries. 

The apparatus identifies a person’s whereabouts based on the location of his/her mobile phone relative to nearby cell towers, which reveals the distance of the phone from a specific cell reception tower and its direction in relation to the tower.

The electronic tracking system logs data including the number of people under quarantine, names of quarantine evaders, and those who have their phones turned off. Quarantined individuals venturing out will trigger alerts to health, police, and civil authorities, who will then respond.

stlucianic.org (09.04.2020)

To help workers navigate the economic hardship arising from COVID-19, the NIC has moved quickly to put measures in place to provide income support to contributors directly affected by the virus. The program is expected to cost anywhere from $40.1 million to $80.2 million over a three-month period covering the months of April, May and June. The NIC will pay 50% of insurable earnings (salary amount on which contributions is levied) subject to a minimum payout of $500 and a maximum of $1,500 monthly to persons unemployed as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. Eligible beneficiaries are all individuals who contribute to the NIC who were in employment in February 2020 and are currently out of work as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Payments are done to Employees only, not Employers. Claimant must have contributed to the Fund for at least one month prior to February 2020 and the claimant is unemployed as a result of COVID-19. 
Additionally, 

24 April 2020 On the occasion of the World Day on Safety and Health at Work on 28 April, the International Social Security Association (ISSA) wants to pay tribute to all the courageous health workers who risk their lives to save others during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

politico.eu (24.04.2020) EU national leaders directed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to draw up plans for a new long-term financial blueprint for the bloc that would also drive an economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis with a combination of loans and grants. 

European Council (23.04.2020) On 23 April 2020 EU leaders discussed progress on the various dimensions of the European response to the COVID-19 outbreak. It was the fourth video meeting of this kind. The heads of state or government endorsed the agreement of the Eurogroup on three safety nets for workers, businesses and sovereigns, amounting to a package worth 540 billion euro. They called for the package to be operational by 1 June 2020.

Am 16. April 2020 hat das Bundesarbeitsministerium den Sars-CoV2-Arbeitsschutzstandard veröffentlicht. Eine Frage, die viele Unternehmen beschäftigt: Welche Anforderungen sind mit Blick auf die nach Arbeitsschutzgesetz vorgeschriebene Gefährdungsbeurteilung zu erfüllen? So haben Bund und Länder am 15. April beschlossen, dass "jedes Unternehmen in Deutschland auch auf Grundlage einer angepassten Gefährdungsbeurteilung sowie betrieblichen Pandemieplanung ein Hygienekonzept" umsetzen muss.

Was bedeutet das für den einzelnen Betrieb? Ist das Hygienekonzept eine zusätzliche Anforderung, die neben der Gefährdungsbeurteilung besteht? Müssen Unternehmen eine separate Dokumentation erstellen?

Die Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung (DGUV) stellt dazu klar: Um die rechtlichen Anforderungen zu erfüllen, reicht es aus, die Hygienemaßnahmen einzuhalten, wie sie im SARS-CoV-2-Arbeitsschutzstandard beschrieben sind. Ergänzt und konkretisiert wird der Standard von branchenspezifischen Hilfestellungen der Berufsgenossenschaften und Unfallkassen. Ein darüber hinaus gehendes "Hygienekonzept" als eigenständiges Dokument ist für die Betriebe nicht erforderlich.

Ministry of Social Welfare Relief and Resettlement (10.04.2020)  In order to promote mental health for people under stress due to Covid-19 quarantine isolation, the Ministry of Social Welfare Relief and Resettlement provides psychosocial consultation services. Contact numbers are listed by state and region and available from 9:30 to 16:30.

nissvg.org (03.04.2020) Advanced Pension Payment covering 8 weeks of payments. Implementation is on April 3rd, 2020 for the 4-week period March 30th, 2020 to April 25th, 2020. This will be followed by a payment on April 30th, 2020, which will cover the 4-week period from April 27th, 2020 to May 23rd, 2020. Regular fortnightly payment will resume on June 5th, 2020.

nissvg.org (17.04.2020) The NIS has implemented the COVID-19 Emergency Unemployment Benefit for workers who have been laid-off as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a cap of XCD 2 million, with a fixed amount of $300.00 per month ($75.00 East Caribbean Dollars/USD $27 per week. ) and duration is earlier of 3 months  and date of exhaustion of funds. This help to provide financial support to approximately 2,000 households and prevent households from falling into poverty or severe deprivation. Also, it maintains a minimum income and expenditure levels.

Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare  (10.04.2010) Online medical care in the spread of Covid-19
Patients can receive medical examinations and prescriptions online or via telephone.
Patients are also able to get their prescribed medicines at home via courier after receiving instructions on their use from a pharmacist by telephone.

vlada.gov.hr (02.04.2020) The Government elaborated the April package of measures through several conclusions and decisions, as well as legislative proposals, such as amendments to the General Tax Law, the Budget Execution Act, and the Accounting Act, which it referred to for urgent parliamentary procedure. The government has thus decided to increase support for entrepreneurs in difficulties in preserving jobs by paying workers' salaries from HRK 3,250 to HRK 4,000 net.

businessinsider (22.04.2020)

• Unemployed South Africans will get R350 a month for the next six months the first benefit of its kind in the country.
• According to current data, some ten million South Africans could be entitled to the grant. 
• But it won't be enough to prevent hunger - SA's food poverty line is R561 a month.
• The so-called Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant of R350 a month will be paid to individuals who are currently jobless and do not receive any other form of social grant or Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) payment.

Ministry of Health (23.04.2020) TRAINING OF VOLUNTEERS ON BASIC FRONTLINE RESPONDERS FOR COVID-19

As a part of the preparedness plan for the Worst Case COVID-19 situations, the Ministry of Health has been working on mapping out vulnerable populations, resources, and human resources in the country. According to the health human resource mapping, there are just over 3000 health personnel in the country. Should the country enter into the Red-Stage Plus, these 3000 plus health personnel will be, more or less, involved in clinical management of severe COVID-19 cases in the isolation of hospitals and other regular patients across the country.

Therefore, it is expected that there will be more demand for health professionals to manage the cases. In such a case, as deemed appropriate, on command of His Majesty the King, the Ministry of Health has planned to train around 300 volunteers from the Civil Service, Desuung and HOPE Volunteers as the Basic Frontline Responders for the COVID-19 situations.

Ministry of Health (20.04.2020)

CONTACT TRACING APP

The government has developed contact tracing app called “Druk Trace” mobile app.

The app is to be used for “Contact Tracing” by helping with the identification of people who may have come in direct contact with a COVID-19 infected person while visiting public places or while using public transportation.

japantimes.co.jp (21.04.2020) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said the handout is meant to be a show of solidarity as the nation hunkers down for what could be a long fight against the novel coronavirus. It replaces an earlier plan to give ¥300,000 to households that suffer a big drop in income because of the outbreak.

premiumtimesng.com (02.04.2020) The Federal Government disbursed N20,000 under its Conditional Cash Transfer scheme to 5,000 beneficiaries in Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The CCT targets families registered in the National Social Register of Poor and Vulnerable Households set up by the Buhari administration in 2016 to combat poverty. The government said that each family on the register will receive monthly cash payments for four months. Other measures include a 3 months long moratorium on repayment of certain Federal Government-funded facilities to the Nigerian public.

forbes.com (15.04.2020) California Governor Gavin Newsom announced today the creation of a $125 million Disaster Relief Fund to assist undocumented immigrants in the state who are struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund will disburse a one-time payment of $500 per adult (capped at $1,000 per household) to approximately 150,000 undocumented adult Californians to help with specific needs related to the coronavirus outbreak.

almamlakatv.com (17.04.2020) The Minister of Social Development Basma Ishaqat has announced the largest social protection programme to support daily wage workers. Cash transfers will be delivered starting from next Wednesday through digital means. Applying for the programme is possible online through the pre-existing 'bread support cash assistance application website.' The programme will support 200,000 households no longer able to work due to the crisis.

molgov.so (19.04.2020) The Baxnano programe is intended to provide cash transfers to targeted poor and vulnerable households and establish the key building blocks of a national shock-responsive safety net system. The aim is to target 200,000 poor and vulnerable households (approximately 1.3 million individuals) across the Federal Member States of Somalia and provide them with nutrition-linked cash transfer. The families will be able to use the money for their immediate needs, such as food and basic services. This programme will be executed in areas of fragility due to widespread poverty, acute drought and long-drawn-out conflicts and insecurity

Una contribución de la Comunidad Visión Zero: La Cámara de Construcción de Chile está ayudando a sus miembros a implementar procedimientos para enfrentar la pandemia que ha afectado a todos los países. Los siguientes materiales, y otros, han sido producidos y distribuidos por CChC y se pueden descargar aquí: https://coronavirus.cchc.cl/

1. Protocolo de acciones preventicas paraobras de construcción

2. Considerationes de salud mental durante COVID-19

3. Protocolo para la limpieza y desinfección de lugaes de trabajo por Coronavirus

4. Medidas para grupos de mayor vulnerabilidad ante el Coronavirus

5. Autoevaluación de salud frente al brote de COVID-19

6. Colección de materiales para las empresas y para los trabajadores