09 April 2020; MEMO: The Bahraini government announced yesterday that it will spend 215 million Bahraini dinars ($570 million) on the salaries of 100,000 employees working in the private sector for a period of three months, to mitigate the economic repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Bahraini Minister of Labour and Social Development, Jamil Humeidan, said employers wishing to take advantage of the government’s initiative should register on the General Authority for Social Insurance’s website.
Humeidan explained that the beneficiaries include all Bahrainis working in the private sector, who were registered with the General Authority for Social Insurance until the end of February.
The salaries will cover the months of April until June through savings from the unemployment insurance fund, to which the government contributes.
The statement indicated that the government will also pay electricity and water bills for all citizens and companies in Bahrain and will extend some tax cuts to the real estate and tourism sectors.
Last month, Bahrain announced a $11 billion stimulus package for the private sector to mitigate the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
As of yesterday afternoon, the total number of coronavirus infections in Bahrain reached 821, including five deaths and 467 recoveries.
