Aug 07 (Japan Times) - The Cabinet on Friday earmarked ¥1.13 trillion in reserve funds to continue measures to cushion the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Of the total, ¥915 billion will be allocated to a cash benefit program of up to ¥2 million each to small and midsize firms that have seen a sharp drop in sales due to social restrictions implemented to slow the virus’s spread.
For households whose income has fallen sharply, the government will allocate ¥177.7 billion for a no-interest loan program providing up to ¥200,000.
To beef up quarantine steps such as conducting polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for visitors from foreign countries, the government will set aside ¥33 billion.
The latest money comes in addition to a total of ¥11.5 trillion in reserve funds already dedicated by the government to the fight against the pandemic, which were part of the first and second supplementary budgets for fiscal 2020 .
Source: ANNnewsCH
