Lottery ticket sellers received financial assistance in the first relief package in April last year. Photo plo.vn

HCM CITY — As many as 230,000 informal and freelance workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in HCM City will receive financial assistance from the second financial relief package worth VNĐ886 billion (US$38.58 million) in the next three weeks.

Speaking at a press meeting on Monday about the package recently approved by the city People’s Council, the director of the city Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Lê Minh Tấn, said that freelance or informal workers were one of six groups of beneficiaries of the payments.

Freelancers and workers in the informal economy have been the hardest hit by the pandemic as they have lost jobs during social distancing requirements, according to Tấn.

These workers include street vendors, garbagemen, porters, lottery-ticket sellers, the self-employed or workers in household businesses in catering, accommodations, tourism and health care, among others in the informal sector.

The department has asked leaders of people’s committees in districts and Thủ Đức City to make payments via the bank accounts of the affected workers or give them cash payments.

Each worker will receive VNĐ50,000 a day for the lockdown period under Directive 15.

Household businesses and workers in formal sectors severely affected by the COVID-19 crisis will also enjoy financial assistance from the second financial relief package.

Around 80,000 labourers who are under the national social insurance scheme and received unpaid leave due to the COVID-19 outbreak will receive a payment of VNĐ1.8 million a person.

Another 2,000 laid-off labourers who are not eligible to enjoy unemployment benefits will get a payment of VNĐ1.8 million a person.

Households businesses in Gò Vấp District, Thạnh Lộc Ward in District 12 and residential areas in other districts that were put under mandatory quarantine will receive a payment of VNĐ2 million a household.

Traders at traditional markets who are paying taxes will receive monthly financial assistance ranging from VNĐ150,000- 300,000 for six months. 

Võ Văn Hoan, deputy chairman of the city People’s Committee, said that benefits would be issued within seven days.

Payments will be made immediately by local authorities in accordance with the approved lists.

The payments will be made from July to the end of August.  

The city allocated VNĐ611 billion (US$26.5 million) and VNĐ181 billion ($7.85 million) for businesses and informal sector workers in the first relief package last year. —VNS