Poor and elderly to get $425 cash payment
(CNS): All disabled people, seniors, seamen and veterans, and those already receiving permanent financial assistance from government will get a COVID-19 emergency stipend at the end of this month of $425 in addition to their usual $850 monthly payment. Premier Alden McLaughlin announced the one-off cash bonus at Tuesday’s press briefing, explaining that it was to help with emergency supplies. He said it would also go to families that are currently claiming food vouchers.
In addition to those on permanent financial assistance there are over 300 families in need that are receiving support from government in the form of food vouchers. But the premier said that, given the current situation, government is estimating that this number is likely to more than double in the coming weeks, and those families will also be assisted with this additional payment.
As the measures government has taken to protect the community from the novel coronavirus bite into the economy, many people are expected to lose their jobs, while small business owners will lose their income streams. Given the likely surge in families needing help, McLaughlin said the Needs Assessment Unit was gearing up to handle an increase in the number of applications for assistance.
He said that additional cash was being provided for the extra payments, and around $3 million had been taken from government’s disaster fund for all of the costs government will incur as a result of COVID-19.
More staff was being redeployed to the NAU from other parts of the civil service to help process the means testing as quickly as possible. The application process will be done on the phone or online to avoid the need for families to go to the offices.
Meanwhile, well aware of the many economic challenges ahead, McLaughlin said that Commerce Minister Joey Hew is expected to attend the next press briefing to talk about how government plans to help prop up small businesses with the help of the Cayman Islands Development Bank and other resources. But he warned that government’s efforts to assist will be limited because it can only do so much for the business community for so long.
He said there was an overwhelming amount for government to think about when it came to the fallout from this virus, but it was systematically considering all of the issues and considering the best options.
“We are stretched as a team,” he said about Cabinet. because the government has been forced to think about every aspect of life here that is being affected. “But thankfully we had started planning quite a ways in advance about what we could see coming down the pipe… But we know we have to provide for those who can’t look after themselves.”
McLaughlin noted the priorities of keeping Caymanians fed, a roof over their heads, the utilities on and access to healthcare. But he accepted that there were many other considerations and the focus would also need to move on to how “we can keep as many businesses running as possible”, so that when this is all over, the country was not flat on its face.
Answering multiple questions at the press briefing about various scenarios and the short- and long-term implications for the economy, he urged bosses to follow the labour laws, noting that anyone sending people home on enforced sick leave or vacation was breaking the law. He said government did not yet have evidence of any employers firing Caymanians in favour of retaining work permit holders.
Many people now want access to money in the private sector pension funds, while others want a freeze on the compulsory payments to them. The premier said that government is talking to both employers and the pension funds, but so far no decision had been made on how to address them.
He said that claims of price gouging at the supermarkets were in fact related to global markets. Government had met with the supermarket bosses across Cayman and discussed these issues with them, as certain goods are now increasingly expensive on the international market, he said, and explained that because the supermarkets are forced to pay more for the things people want, prices are going to increase.
McLaughlin said that at this point, there was nothing that was leading him to conclude the supermarkets were gouging.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Category: Local News
What about all the small businesses/individuals in the water sports and other sectors who are suddenly without any income at all? it’s not like most people had money to spare anyway with the cost of living. Reduce or waive import duty for a time and give us ALL a break. We are all in this together and no one should be homeless or hungry or without medical care
So if you do not have a job right now but worked all your life and Caymanian but not entitled to pension for another year or two? How are Caymanians taking care of their own?
I am sorry but Cayman needs to take care of their own. If you do not have a job then you need to go home. If your permit expired you would have to leave anyway. Same thing!!!
caymankind christianity……zzzzzzz
Government should waive fees for supermarkets and other places that are bringing in essential goods. Those waived fees/savings could then be passed on to the customers.
You are one of great optimism if you think they would pass on savings.
Isn’t retirement age earlier than 67? Some companies have retirement age at 55, some at 60.
I agree with other commenters, why do these people need more on top of their monthly payments of $850 when we are giving nothing to all the poor expatriates out of a job who can’t get home. Furthermore a lot of Caymanians in this group are very wealthy are these entitlements means tested, I heard not.
And what exactly will this do? They get by on what they receive already. The workers being laid off will get nothing and lose everything. Jokers in charge as always. Da wa you get.
Why are the economically inactive getting a payout?
I work in the tourism industry that just flatlined. Can I have some help paying my bills?
you can’t vote… so no. it’s called caymankindness.
What an f*ing joke. Destroy the economy around them, then give them 500.00
If there is no need to buy supplies and stock up why is there a need to give seamen and veterans an emergency payment? It’s not as if they have just lost their job in the tourism industry. So why do they need the cash now? Same issue with why the civil service needs to have its pay date moved up. Either the Premier is simply vote buying or he thinks that there really is a need to stockpile.
If a lockdown ensues with full self imposed quarantine, the only way it can be guaranteed to be absolutely effective is if NOONE breaks quarantine. Every time someone has to “pop out to the shops” they risk getting infected themselves and potentially others. From that perspective, some stocking up (but not panic buying) could be entirely sensible. Also, the more people can fend for themselves, the less the strain will be on the various agencies to keep everyone fed, and indoors at home. We need to all grow up a little, be responsible to our entire community, and if we are going to do it, do it once and right.
So if it’s just about pre buying, pay then next months payment early. Doesn’t explain why they need an extra payment. Unlike someone who has just lost their job.
Vote buying. Seamen get a meaningless boost payment every four years for one reason or another.
Its all very well giving these one-off payments but this will not help all of the work-permit holders now laid-off. Just telling them to go home is not an answer; many of the lowest paid are here because there is absolutely nothing for them to do ‘at home’, These people do not have savings, most don’t even have bank accounts; what they dont spend simply to live here is sent to their families so they can survive.
The Filipinos cannot go home as they have to travel via London and won’t be allowed entry to the UK.
The Hondurans cannot go home because their government has banned all flights and shut-down all public transport within the country.
The Jamaicans can still go, but to what? starvation in their own yards!
This situation requires some very imaginative thinking by the government; NOW before it becomes a real issue.
Every person working here on a work permit should have some funds saved from their labour, either here or in there homeland. I believe if they honestly cannot fend for themselves their employers should be responsible for them. It is ludicrous to expect the Cayman Islands government to fund all of these people. After this is over I believe the entire work permit/ labour department should really scrutinize the process of work permits/salaries/ pension and medical insurance coverage for the lesser paid employees. I understand that the practice of someone taking out a permit for someone but do not have work/ sufficient work for the person is still rampant. I also understand the prospective employee eagerly accepting these conditions because half a loaf is better than none, but these infractions are illegal and poses more issues for the Cayman Islands, it’s government and all of us to have to deal with. Too many times some employers will lie and present false information just to get the permit. I know we have a free market system and businesses can be easily set up here but I believe that there are two many small business competing with each other in certain categories, barely breaking even so when there is an emergency like we are going through now these businesses cannot survive.
You can thank Alden for putting us in this socio-economic predicament, later.
It will not help all the Caymanians who work in tourism either. They are now without any income at all but still have mortgages to pay
window dressing….which will do nothing to tackle the economic disaster facing cayman.
thanks again do-nothing ppm
what about the people that actually run the services of the economy?????….
What age is classed as a ‘senior’?
67
65
What about the homeless?
They are self isolating
Glad to see that the seniors will be taking care of.
But were their pensions going to be cut or were they going to lose them? I don’t get this policy.
Why Kirk Freeport and other tourist atractions don’t want to pay their staff, after they work so hard to make them millionaires, Mr Premier I no they are private companies but ,please can someone do something about it, they can’t take all of the money to the grave, can they.
They saved more than that by canceling overseas trips. One year of covid-19 could erase all of our national debt.
Well done Premier, well done and aplauses.
Far better than Health Authorities Performance.
What is coming is terrible.
I have said,
Brown Freeman (MD,)
Let’s see shall we. Reminds me of the terrible predictions of the Zika virus in 2016/17. When deaths in the UK exceed 17,000 (average deaths per year from flu) then I’ll start to worry about what is coming, being ‘terrible’!
Wow you really go all out and open the wallet don’t you!
Well they wasted 9M on propaganda for port!
What is Mac being paid every week, adding pension, salary, and all benefits?
Good question. Please include his driver’s salary and pension and all benefits.
Let’s not forget the cost of losing twice in court.
What a load of BS
Huh?
That’s right, take care of the most important voting block first.
I dont think this is the time to be negative.
You must be new here. 800 and how many “Seamen”?
How do we have so many “seamen” when most Caymanian men stopped going to sea a VERY long time ago. Surely many of them must have died by now? I suspect fraud.
This is one of the most unnecessary drains on government!!! The MAJORITY of the men that went to sea have passed away yet the number of “seamen” on the roll doesn’t decrease. Also, some of the widows receiving survivor benefits weren’t even married to the seamen when they went to sea! If you weren’t a spouse making the tremendous sacrifice of having your husband at sea, you don’t need benefits just because you were married to a former seaman.
Actually, it kind of is…
Vote buying
No. Think ahead. Is it not a good idea that everyone has a good stock of food and essentials at home?