Syrian government delays coronavirus stimulus
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Although a year has passed since Fayad Obaid (a pseudonym), a worker in Damascus, registered for financial assistance announced by the Syrian government in April 2020 to compensate those affected by the lockdown measures against the outbreak of coronavirus, he has not received any help yet.
After being informed about the financial assistance of 100,000 Syrian pounds (SYP), the man registered for it via an online platform.
Obaid hoped to obtain the assistance after he faced difficulties in securing the price of a bundle of bread for his family during the coronavirus lockdown, according to him.
As a result of the measures imposed by the Syrian government against increasing numbers of coronavirus infections, and during the period between the end of March and the beginning of June of 2020, large numbers of residents were affected by the suspension of their work in light of the increasing prices that accompany the deteriorating Syrian pound.
It is worth mentioning that the most affected group of the lockdown measures includes daily laborers, workers in the tourism department, and drivers.
In April 2020, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers approved the proposal of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor to distribute financial assistance to those affected through the Social Aid Fund, and the Ministry’s announcement of the electronic platform to register for the assistance. The majority of those entitled to this assistance have not yet received it, according to applicants.
The number of applicants for the assistance via the electronic platform reached 280,000, according to the statement of the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor on April 24 of 2020.
At that time, the Ministry mentioned that they will offer the assistance to daily and seasonal workers after verifying their data from the responsible authorities and the concerned unions and federations.
Hiyam al-Ahmar (a pseudonym), a law student working as a waitress in a restaurant in Damascus, told North Press that she registered via the platform to receive the unemployment assistance when it first launched.
The student hoped that she would obtain the assistance to help pay her rent and cover some expenses of her studies, but she has received nothing.
Disappointed, she was forced to leave her room in Damascus and return to her parents’ home in the countryside of Hama, abandoning her job in the resturant.
By December of 2020, the number of beneficiaries of the assistance reached 88,176 after verifying their data, according to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor.
Meanwhile, Jamal al-Diba (a pseudonym), a bus driver in Rif-Dimashq, told North Press that he did not obtain the financial assistance as a result of not having evidence that he is working on the bus, while the bus owner received the assistance himself.
“The Ministry should have found a mechanism for distributing the assistance fairly,” he added.
“How can a driver approve that he is working on a bus since he works for a daily wage,” Diba wonders.