News of the day: Government with three new updates on financial support to companies affected by the pandemic
The Government is introducing three updates to the measure for subsidizing a 14.500 denar salary for companies, as support in coping with the consequences of the pandemic.
First update refers to reducing the number of employees, in cases when an employee leaves the company on their own or their contract expires. With the new measure, conditions for retaining the number of employees are made easier, that is, a reduction of up to 15 percent is allowed in small and micro companies, up to 10 percent in medium companies and up to 5 percent in large companies.
Second update is that financial support is increased for three sectors – tourism, hospitality and transport, which, as Minister of Finance Nina Angelovska said, have been affected the most by the pandemic. This update means that at the same time, companies from these three sectors will be able to use subsidies from the measure 14.500 denars per employee, and to combine it with the other measure for subsidizing up to 50 percent of the salary contributions per employee. This means that the total amount that a company from these three sectors can use is 19.500 denars per employee.
The conditions are as follows: for companies to be healthy, companies that have generated revenues in the past two years, not to be on the list of debtors and not to have matured, but unpaid, liabilities within 90 days.
Third update is in regards to which company and under which criteria it should return the funds from the financial support.
Companies that have not made a profit in 2020 will not be returning the funds from the financial support, as was initially anticipated. The change is for companies that will make a profit in 2020 and had an obligation to return 50 percent of what they realized.
Statement of the day: Angelovska- Measures will be designed as needed, no one will be left alone
“Measures will be designed as needed and everyone will be helped. No one will be left alone”, said Minister of Finance Nina Angelovska, after the predictions of the head of the Chamber of Commerce that a more difficult period for companies is expected in May and June.
“Measures will be designed as needed depending on the development of the situation, however, it is important that there are already talks about easing the measures, there are talks about specific protocols for all sectors and industries on how they will work and for returning life back to normal”, said Angelovska at today’s press conference in the Government.
State of emergency:
The Institute for Public Health today registered 38 recovered patient as follows: Skopje 19, Tetovo 3, Struga 9, Bitola 4, Gostivar 3.
In the past 24 hours 279 tests have been made, and 21 new coronavirus cases have been confirmed: Skopje – 7, Kumanovo -6, Prilep -4, Tetovo-1, Pehcevo-1, Delcevo -1, Struga-1. This makes the total number of COVID-19 patients in our country 1.442, number of recovered patients 627, 73 patients have died, and currently there are 742 active cases in the country.
In the Clinic for Infectious Diseases, a 50-year-old patient from Skopje died, hospitalized on April 6 and 17 days on a ventilator. In the Clinic of Oncology, a 51-year-old patient from Prilep died, whose test result positive for COVID-19 arrived yesterday.
In the past day a total of 279 tests have been made, while a total of 16.050 COVID-19 tests have been until now in the country.
Minister of Health Venko Filipce today will not hold a press conference, but the Public Relations Service is open for all journalist questions, which will be answered as soon as possible.
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85-year old Elena Makaloska is the oldest COVID-19 recovered patient in the Prilep General Hospital “Borka Taleski”.
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Minister of Health Venko Filipce and Prime Minister Oliver Spasovski have tested for the second time negative for COVID-19.
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The ban on movement in the past 24 hours has been disregarded by 28 people across the country, while 21 have been detained. Information has been taken for the rest and appropriate measures will be taken, stated the MOI.
In the past 24 hours, 65 people have been issued decisions for isolation, while 18 people have signed statements for self-isolation.
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About 2.300 health workers, nurses and doctors from public health institutions in the country have been part of the interactive online training of the “COVID 19 Response Training” program for three weeks, which has been implemented by the Ministry of Health.
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For correct and timely informing of citizens with official and verified information related to the tackling of the coronavirus, the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia opened a new information channel on the popular application for digital communication “Viber”.
The first government communication channel on “Viber” (Viber Community) can be found under the name “Коронавирус МК Koronavirus”, just as the other communication tools the Government has opened with the purpose of intensifying communication with citizens to more easily deal with the coronavirus. In that package is also the official website koronavirus.gov.mk, a mobile application for “Android” and “IOS”, as well as the profiles on the social media “Facebook”, “Instagram” and “Twitter”.
Flash news
For companies with over 50 employees, the percentage of possible dismissals is limited to 10 percent, and five percent for companies with over 250 employees. Retired persons and deceased employees are an exception to this, informed the Director of the Public Revenue Office, Lukarevska.
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Persons deleted from the unemployment records can also exercise the right to a guaranteed minimum social assistance. The measure for supporting the existing beneficiaries of the social protection system, with which about 30 thousand households have received 1.000 denars energy allowance, now in addition to April and May, has been extended to September this year, with the purpose of supporting the most vulnerable families, stated Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy Bajraktar.
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Criminal charges against Kumanovo Mayor Maksim Dimitrievski today have arrived at the Kumanovo Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office, confirmed the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
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SDSM distances itself from such statements made by Maksim Dimitrievski and from his behaviour in recent days. Statements as to whether it resembled a regime or similar will certainly not prevent the institutions to act according to the laws, for which Dimitrievski himself is aware that in our country they apply equally to all, said SDSM spokesperson Kostadinov at a press conference.
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Trade unions and civic associations demand responsibility from Angelovska, the Minister calls for realistic perception of the measure 14.500 denars financial support.
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Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mila Carovska announced that 140 workers have returned to work who have been unlawfully dismissed during the crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
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The possibility will be considered for enrolling first-graders in September, for the state matura exam to be in June or for it to be cancelled this year, announced the minister of Education, Arber Ademi.
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President of the Republic of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski, through a video connection spoke today with Dr Angelco Andonovski, Director of the Institute of Respiratory Diseases in Children – Kozle, during which he expressed support and gratitude for the selfless efforts of Dr Andonovski as Director of the Kozle Institute, but also of all employees in this health institution, in conditions of a coronavirus.
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The US Agency for International Development, USAID, has granted additional $330.000 for dealing with COVID-19 in the country, through a grant to the Red Cross in Macedonia. The grant builds on the assistance of $1.1 million by the US Government, already committed to our country, for reducing the spread of the coronavirus.
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The Western Balkan Courtiers, as well as other world economies, will be affected by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year they will fall in recession and may note a drop in GDP by as much as 11.3%, announced the World Bank.
According to the World Bank, the Republic of North Macedonia would suffer the least damage, for which economy a decline of 1.4 to 3.2 percent is expected.
Diana Tahiri
translation: Natasa Cvetkovska
