Minister of Labor and Social Security (15.06.2020) The Minister of Labor and Social Security signed a directive that allows employers to request an extension of the measure to suspend their employment contracts due to the pandemic by COVID-19. The MTSS-DMT-CIR-5-2020 directive allows employers to request the extension of the initial period of three months for up to an additional equal period, as long as the impact on the economic turn of companies is maintained.

The New York TImes (22.07.2020) The  US government committed to purchase 100 million doses of a not-yet-finished vaccine. The private sector buys most vaccines in the United States, not the government.“We’re trying to make sure access for all Americans is equal,” said L.J. Tan, chief strategy officer at the Immunization Action Coalition. “The best way to do that is to make vaccines free for everybody.” The U.S.

UN/DESA Policy Brief #82 (14.07.2020) All social protection systems are designed to respond to shocks since, in addition to addressing chronic conditions, they are meant to address acute events that negatively impact individuals and households. However, some systems respond better than others. Typical life cycle events, related to the loss of jobs or illness, usually only affect some households at the same time. Standard social protection systems are set to respond to these individual or household-level shocks.

loopnewsbarbados.com (21.03.2020) For those employers who are prepared to retain three-quarters of their workforce even if some are on short-week, they can defer the employers’ contribution for three months in the first instance with a preparation to extend for another three months if the crisis goes beyond.

nib-bahamas.com (21.07.2020) The National Insurance Board, after consultation with the Ministry of Finance, is pleased to advise that the Government Unemployment Extension Programme will be extended to persons whose last day at work was Friday 13 March, 2020. Our previous pre-enrolled customers included only those persons who were laid off after the lockdown as at 23rd March, 2020.

nib-bahamas.com (16.07.2020) The National Insurance Board (NIB) will launch a new online portal for eligible individuals to register for the Government-Funded Unemployment Benefit Extension Programme (GovUEBex). Individuals who were unemployed due to the COVID-19 shutdown between March 23 – June 30, and continue to be unemployed, are eligible for the extension programme if they fall under one of four categories: 1. They have exhausted their 13 weeks of NIB’s unemployment benefit (UEB) payments which became payable because of layoffs/termination due to COVID 19. 2.

vietnaminsider.vn (13.03.2020) People (both Vietnamese and foreigners) are not charged all related fees when they undergo mandatory quarantine at healthcare centers, border gates and other isolation facilities. They will also be transported to isolation wards for free and receive free drinking water, towels, face masks, hand sanitizers, mouthwash and other daily necessities, according to the Finance Ministry’s Circular 32/2012.

vss.gov.vn (07.04.2020) Earlier, on February 6, 2020, Ministry of Health issued Document No 505/BYT-BH on the payment of medical expenses for treatmentof pneumonia caused by the new strain of coronavirus. According to Circular No 32/2012/TT-BTC of December 29, 2012 issued by Ministry of Finance, people infected, suspected of being infected with the virus and high-risk people will have medical expenses fully covered.

vss.gov.vn (09.04.2020) Starting from April 8, 2020, individuals and organizations with accounts registered at the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) may contribute to health insurance and social insurance on the e-Banking application platform. The result of the coordination between Vietnam Social Security and BIDV aims to facilitate people, employees and employers in transactions with social security authorities, especially when the COVID-19 epidemic is maintaining complicated and social distancing is being implemented.

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;