No new stimulus package for Walvis
STAFF REPORTER
WINDHOEK
Government will not offer new emergency income grants for residents of Walvis Bay whose town is back on lockdown for seven days after recording three new cases of the coronavirus.
Walvis Bay's stage one lockdown means residents are not allowed to leave their homes except for necessities such as seeking medical care, food and medicine.
Schools will remain closed, while public gatherings may not exceed more than ten people.
When similar measures were imposed nationally, the ministry of finance announced an emergency income grant through which individuals in defined categories received N$750 to keep them going for three weeks.
Many Walvis Bay residents, especially informal traders who must close shop for a week, expected to receive a similar grant to carry them through the latest lockdown.
But finance spokesperson Tonateni Shidhudhu said there were no such plans.
“Government will not provide an extra grant for the seven-day lockdown period to residents of Walvis Bay,” he told Namibian Sun yesterday.
“We continue to monitor the situation and provide support to the critically affected areas. The emergency income grant was a one-off payment based on the first three weeks of the [national] lockdown.”
He said any further financial incentives would put the treasury under immense pressure.
“Emergency income grant is not the only assistance that government is providing. Government has responded in different ways including food aid and support to public institutions to strengthen service delivery,” the former NBC journalist said.
WINDHOEK
Government will not offer new emergency income grants for residents of Walvis Bay whose town is back on lockdown for seven days after recording three new cases of the coronavirus.
Walvis Bay's stage one lockdown means residents are not allowed to leave their homes except for necessities such as seeking medical care, food and medicine.
Schools will remain closed, while public gatherings may not exceed more than ten people.
When similar measures were imposed nationally, the ministry of finance announced an emergency income grant through which individuals in defined categories received N$750 to keep them going for three weeks.
Many Walvis Bay residents, especially informal traders who must close shop for a week, expected to receive a similar grant to carry them through the latest lockdown.
But finance spokesperson Tonateni Shidhudhu said there were no such plans.
“Government will not provide an extra grant for the seven-day lockdown period to residents of Walvis Bay,” he told Namibian Sun yesterday.
“We continue to monitor the situation and provide support to the critically affected areas. The emergency income grant was a one-off payment based on the first three weeks of the [national] lockdown.”
He said any further financial incentives would put the treasury under immense pressure.
“Emergency income grant is not the only assistance that government is providing. Government has responded in different ways including food aid and support to public institutions to strengthen service delivery,” the former NBC journalist said.
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