Services Australia (28.07.2020) We’ll continue to waive some waiting periods for new claims until 31 December 2020. This includes the: Ordinary Waiting Period, Newly Arrived Resident’s Waiting Period, Seasonal Work Preclusion Period.

Services Australia (21.07.2020) The income free area for JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance for job seekers will increase to $300 per fortnight. The income free area is currently $106 for JobSeeker Payment and $143 for Youth Allowance. This means you can earn more but still get the maximum payment rates. If you earn above $300 per fortnight, your payment reduces by 60 cents for each dollar over this amount. From 25 September 2020, means testing will be reintroduced. This includes asset testing for all payments.

Social Security Board (21.07.2020) Effective March 28, 2020 the qualifying condition that a person must be employed upon becoming ill has been suspended. This means persons who, as of March 1, 2020, became unemployed, suspended, placed on leave without pay or ceased self-employed may still qualify for sickness benefit.

The following qualifying conditions apply:

1. The person is sick due to Covid-19;

2. Have 50 weekly paid contributions since 1981;

Social Security Board (21.07.2020) Effectively immediately, SSB has extended the deadline for all contribution payments for the months of March and April 2020.

Employers are required to submit their monthly Contribution statement for these months via our online portal. Self-employed persons can submit their monthly contributions certificate electronically to info@socialsecurity.org.bz.

Employers and self-employed persons can opt to make monthly instalments not exceeding six months with no penalties.

The first payment for March and April is due by 31 July 2020.

Social Security Board (21.07.2020) Effective immediately, Social Security Board (SSB) has suspended the required deadline to submit all benefit claims until further notice. This means that customers are free to submit their claims for processing at a later time but not exceeding six months.

Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit (14.05.2020) The Solidarity Coverage to Support the Health Sector consists of life insurance from insurance companies to provide financial protection to the families of public sector health personnel free of charge. The beneficiaries of this support will be the relatives of 1.6 million public sector health workers who have died from the COVID-19, when treating patients with this disease. In the event of death due to the direct cause of said disease, the insurers undertake to grant 50 thousand pesos to relatives of the aforementioned staff (

The daily Star (08.07.2020) A virtual court in Dhaka today placed seven officials and employees of Regent Group on a five-day remand each in a case filed overissuing fake Covid-19 test results and charging patients for the test and treatment. They charged patients for the tests and treatment despite having an agreement with the government on carrying out tests and providing treatment for free. 

Ministry of Social Security and Labour (11.06.2020) Child benefit is a universal benefit paid to each child. Its size in 2020 is 60 euros.

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (08.04.2020) The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has established an information and communication infrastructure centre (tentative name) in cooperation with the Cabinet Secretariat's IT Office. The system enables collecting information on hospital operation status, the situation of hospital beds and medical staff, the number of available medical equipment (ventilators, etc.) and medical materials (masks, protective clothing, etc.) from medical institutions nationwide (approximately 8,000 hospitals with 20 or more beds).

MINISTRY FOR HOME AFFAIRS, NATIONAL SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIAT FOR CITIZENSHIP AND COMMUNITIES (24.06.2020) Online birth and death registration is now available through Identity Malta's website (https://identitymalta.com/services/). The public can register a newborn's birth or a person's death remotely by simply filling in an online registration form.