Belgium.be (20.03.2020) Le chômage temporaire sera à la fois automatique, étendu et renforcé, ainsi qu'un soutien aux indépendants fermés ou en difficulté.

premier.tas.gov.au (17.03.2020)

Ministerial Statement COVID-19 Response Measures

premier.tas.gov.au (17.03.2020)

Ministerial Statement COVID-19 Response Measures

azatutyun.am (18.03.2020) Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has promised that his government will provide at least 150 billion drams (over $300 million) in assistance to the economy, which is likely to be affected by the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. (...) “We have prepared a package of 30 billion drams (over $60 million) for urgent social assistance to exclude the impoverishment of people,” the prime minister said, adding that citizens and businesses should be confident that the government will stand by them.

government.se (16.03.2020) Liquidity reinforcement via tax accounts Under this proposal, companies can defer payment of employers’ social security contributions, preliminary tax on salaries and value added tax that are reported monthly or quarterly. Company payment respite covers tax payments for three months and is granted for up to 12 months. This replaces the previously presented proposal. It is proposed that the new regulations take effect on 7 April 2020, but can be retroactively applied from 1 January 2020.

government.se (16.03.2020) Central government to assume sick pay responsibility for two months

It is proposed that central government assume the entire cost of all sick pay during April and May. Self-employed persons will also be compensated in that they can receive standardised sick pay for days 1–14.

government.se (16.03.2020) The crisis package now presented can – depending on how the situation develops – encompass more than SEK 300 billion if the entire liquidity reinforcement through tax accounts is used.

Short-term layoffs introduced today

thelocal.se (11.03.2020) Sweden is temporarily scrapping the 'karensdag' – the first unpaid day of your sick leave – in response to the coronavirus, the government announced as it outlined measures to handle the crisis. The decision means that workers will get sickness benefits from the moment they have to be absent from work due to illness, and the state rather than employers will foot the bill for the cost of the first day. It comes into effect today, and will apply for one and a half month for now.

OECD (20.03.2020) Many affected countries introduced or announced bold measures over the last days and weeks, often with a focus on supporting the most vulnerable who are bearing a disproportionate share of the burden. This note and the accompanying policy table contribute to evidence-sharing on the role and effectiveness of various policy tools.

Financial Times (20.02.2020) The crisis has illuminated stark differences between the employed and freelancers. Many countries are grappling with how to deal with their self-employed workforces losing income. In Greece, payments of €800 will be issued, as well as tax holidays. The Norwegian government is proposing to compensate self-employed workers for lost earnings up to 80 per cent of their salaries, while the Danes will receive up to 75 per cent.