The COVID-19 pandemic has put a lot of pressure on health care services and elderly care. Staff have had an extremely heavy and often stressful workload and have worked very hard. The risk of mental ill health may have increased. This is why the Government proposes funds to support staff in regional and municipal health care and elderly care in its autumn amending budget for 2020. This will make money available for crisis support, counselling and trauma support. The proposal is based on an agreement between the government parties, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party.

politica.expansion.mx (10.07.2020) A one-time cash benefit of 3,000 pesos is intended for people 18 years of age and older who live in the State of Mexico (Edomex) and who during the last four months lost their formal or informal employment, due to the health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The cash support will be delivered in two monthly installments, each of 1,500 pesos. Informal workers will need to sign a declaration under oath of saying the truth about having lost their (informal) employment due COVID-19 situation.

NHK (27.11.2020) The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that the exceptional treatment of Employment Adjustment Subsidy is extended to February 2021. The exceptional treatments include the increase of maximum amount of daily allowance to 15,000 yen per an employee. The Minister also implied that the treatment would be gradually reduced after March 2021. 

Government of Iceland (20.11.2020) A one-time payment of ISK 50,000 will be made before 18 December to recipients of disability and rehabilitation pensions who are eligible for pensions during the year, in addition to the December supplement that is usually paid during the month.

Gouvernement.fr (13.11.2020) Employers can postpone all or part of the payment of employee and employer contributions for the dates of November 5 and 15, 2020, on request online from URSSAF (in the absence of a response within 48 hours, this request is considered accepted). In addition, personal social contributions for self-employed workers (excluding contracted health professionals) will not be deducted in November .

Gouvernement.fr (13. 11. 2020) This concerns companies with less than 50 employees closed administratively and those with less than 250 employees in the tourism, events, culture, sport, air transport sectors with a loss of activity of at least 50% :  

• employers benefit from a total exemption from employer social contributions excluding supplementary pensions, and assistance with the payment of social contributions of 20% of the payroll;
• the self-employed receive a lump sum reduction of social contributions.

On April 8, Uruguay enacted Law No. 19,874 creating the Covid-19 Solidarity Fund , a precedent seen by the cross-sectional group of 16 economists who proposed a similar formula to address the emergency and post-pandemic recovery in Chile. The formula of creating a Covid fund, from which up to US $ 12 billion could be drawn  to finance support for  individuals and companies, seeks that the Government does not have to go to Congress for each measure: once the framework of action has been agreed, it would be issue decrees charged to fund financing.

BPS (09.11.2020) Workers with activity and health coverage in March 2020, terminated between the 1st. August and October 31, will maintain their mutual membership for three months, as well as that of their dependents.

Membership will be extended to:

BPS (12.11.2020) Beneficiaries of family allowances (AFAM) from the Equity Plan who do not have a Uruguay Social Card will receive a reinforcement of 50% of their monthly allowance in November and December due to the health and social emergency situation that the country is going through.

BPS (20.11.2020) Transportation companies and school canteens are exempted from paying employer retirement contributions in the period between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. There are already 293 companies that have this benefit.