EYEWITNESS NEWS (30.03.2020) Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance K Peter Turnquest has announced the expansion of the unemployment assistance programme for self-employed persons outside of the tourism sector.

sciencedirect.com (05.05.2020) One of the most effective ways that the Korean government rapidly dispersed these daily updates is emergency SMS messages. All citizens receive daily alert messages through their mobile phones from their local authorities. The alert message arrives with a 40–60 db alarm sound, and contains information from KCDC about newly confirmed patients and their recent trajectories if available.

oecd.org (16.04.2020) Provision of a subsidy to individuals who need to be isolated (both self-isolation and hospitalisation) to support their living costs and penalises those who are suspected to be infected if they refuse to receive diagnostic test or subsequent treatment or go through self-isolation.

oecd.org and mhis.or.kr (02.02.2020) Korea provides tests and subsequent treatment free of charge to patients and the cost is covered by central and local governments and the health insurance public corporation (the National Health Insurance covers 80% and the central government the remaining 20%).

pension.gov.sa (03.09.2020) The Public Pension Agency has implemented training programs for its employees during remote working so as to better cater their customers during the confinement period.

pension.gov.sa (03.09.2020) Entension of entitlements period of 3 months for beneficiaries who were to suspend their entitlements.

Public Pension Agency (28.04.2020) The call center is fully prepared and staffed (remotely) throughout the month of Ramadan to receive all incoming calls, and to deal with them as determined by the nature of the required service throughout the week from Sunday to Thursday from ten in the morning until four in the evening, and from nine in the evening until one in the morning, and on Friday from one in the evening until five in the evening and from nine in the evening until one in the morning.

Help Age Asia (2020) As part of an Asia-Pacific regional initiative, HelpAge International and partner organisations are producing bimonthly briefs to summarise trends in the situation of older people and responses to their situation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.