Government Assistance for Self-Employed Tourism Workers
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Workers to receive $200 for eight weeks
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest said in the House of Assembly today that government will provide additional assistance to those left unemployed in the tourism industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Turnquest said government and the National Insurance Board (NIB) will pay out $200 weekly to eligible persons who are self-employed.
“A national crisis, such as the pandemic before us today where, due to forces entirely beyond their control, thousands of self-employed people who rely on the flow of cruise ship and stopover visitors, are now unable to make a living over the next few weeks.
As such, the Government has partnered with NIB to design a temporary programme that will provide weekly payments of $200 to persons who meet the eligibility criteria, for a period of up to 8 weeks. That is, an eligible person can receive up to $1,600 over the 8-week period,” Turnquest said.
Turnquest added that NIB has launched its new online application process for the government funded unemployment assistance for COVID-19.
Through this portal, Turnquest said, applicants can apply online and submit the necessary documents by email, to prove their identity and that they work in the tourism sector as a self-employed person.
Turnquest said to date, NIB has received 1,563 applications.
