A NT$160 billion (US$5.78 billion) budget for COVID-19 relief programs was approved by the Cabinet Sept. 9, underscoring the government’s commitment to protecting the people while stimulating the domestic economy amid the pandemic.
According to the Executive Yuan, a total of NT$120.69 billion will be allocated to the Quintuple Stimulus Vouchers program, which will provide eligible residents with NT$5,000 to be spent in physical stores and select online retail outlets. An additional NT$6.62 billion is set to be used for a variety of other voucher programs overseen by the Ministries of Culture, Education, and Transportation and Communications; Councils of Agriculture and Indigenous Peoples; and Hakka Affairs Council, the EY added.
A further NT$13.78 billion is ringfenced to support fishermen and women, tour guides, taxi and tour bus drivers, after-school care centers, and sports companies as well as college students whose families have been heavily affected by COVID-19.
The other NT$18.91 billion is proposed for pandemic prevention and control. This includes such measures as enhancing testing capacity, establishing consultation hotlines, launching mass vaccination drives, offering health insurance for front-line workers, procuring medicines for treating COVID-19 patients, providing more transportation services for quarantined travelers and setting up community screening stations.
The plan has now been now submitted to the Legislature for review in accordance with Article 11 of the Special Act for Prevention, Relief and Revitalization Measures for Severe Pneumonia with Novel Pathogens. (YCH-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw