COVID-19 Unemployment Relief Application is Ready!
Thousands have been left jobless in the tourism industry, as well as other sectors, as business comes to a halt. So, in Belize City and the districts, the unemployed persons lined up to collect the promised relief. The programme is called the COVID-19 Unemployment Relief, which will provide one hundred and fifty dollars per family every two weeks. It is not much, but will make a difference for many families who will not collect paychecks. This morning, there were hitches in the disbursements, the online site crashed due to the demand and many did not have a bank account where the aid can be deposited. Here is News Five’s Andrea Polanco with a report.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
Belizeans lined up outside of the Social Security Board branch office in Belize City this morning – they were waiting the “Covid-19 Unemployment Relief Application Form.” It was advised for persons to do this online at the www.covid19.bz – but the website itself crashed this morning because of the overwhelming traffic to the site. This is the message that popped up earlier today when you click on the link. But many don’t have access to internet services and opted for the hard copy form. Persons were collecting the forms and completing them on the spot before dropping them in this red box; others took them home. The aid is one hundred and fifty dollars every two weeks – a total of three hundred dollars a month. Self-employed handyman Luis Perez is a father of three. He was one of the first persons to get an application this morning.
Luis Perez
Luis Perez, Unemployed Handyman
“I dah wah handyman right now and this means it’s ketch and kill – right? You go round and deh hire you yah and that nuh wah established job. Yet, the thing weh the government di say about this lee change weh the give – I come yah from five-thirty because I mi di expect a big rush or something. I have my kids and I have a newborn right now. Three weeks already weh I nuh the work and dah nuh because I nuh wah go work or I am lazy. I work but people just nuh wah give you job and even if you go ask them for a lee bit ah thing deh nuh wah give you nothing.”
Andrea Polanco
“Right – and this S.I., the new regulations put in place you can’t be walking up and down looking for a job because the police deh wah pick you up?”
Luis Perez
“Yes. They just pick up one right from front yah dah social security so dah like you nuh know weh fi do.”
Ken Francis is a taxi-driver. He and all other taxi operators have been removed from their stands. He says business is slow and it will only get worse. He says the monetary relief will make a big difference in his home.
Ken Francis
Ken Francis, Taxi Operator
“It very hard for a client the call you to pick ah up when they late two three minutes. So, we under a lotta pressure. We have to feed our family and so I come try get this form yah and full this out right now to take care of my family because you cyaa go home with an empty pocket and you have a family to take care of. We the get two three jobs fi the day parked at the stand and now that we cyaa park dah the stand we nuh wah get none. I the look fi go give the owner the car right now and go home and stay because we nuh know weh gwein on.”
Andrea Polanco
“What kind of difference would this lee money make – would you be able to stretch it fi help yuh family?”
Ken Francis
“Well, it would make a lotta difference because if I say two job a day the help me weh I di do, more or less little something better than none at all. If I get a two dollars or three dollars fi help you dah something because right now it’s like everything crash.”
Jason Wiltshire is a part-time worker at a store – but that business closed its doors because it’s not an essential service provider. He now hopes to get the unemployment aid.
Jason Wiltshire
Jason Wiltshire, Unemployed
“Dah wah rough thing because you cyaa come out how you wah. You have to stay home and then you wah go out and mek money and you cyaa go.”
Andrea Polanco
“How much of a challenge is this right now for you to take care of your family?”
Jason Wiltshire
“Right now it kinda hard.”
Andrea Polanco
“So you the sign up for the relief – how you wah use it? Any plans for it?”
Jason Wiltshire
“Yes, ma’am. I wah use it home.”
Troydon Nicholas is a handy man, who washes vehicles and does gardening work. The new laws in place prevent Nicholas from working – but he says that long before that his earnings stopped so he hopes he will get some of the GOB relief.
Troydon Nicholas
Troydon Nicholas, Unemployed Handyman
“With the situation weh the happen everybody have to take safety and precautions and safety indeed. But people like me weh nuh have no job we have to get some lee funds to take care ah we home and so. I gwein see if I could do wah lee thing. It is very essential if I could get this for my family. This is a very big help for me and my family and after this we have to stay home. This di the affect my job so far because many of the people who have job for me to do maybe went away or stayed locked up inside for safety. It really put a dent on many people income and way of life right now.”
In order to apply for the relief, you are asked to do the application online or complete the form which will be reviewed. The form looks like this. At the top it asks for your particulars – such as name, address, and contact information and so on. There are two categories listed: Recent and longer-term unemployed persons and the independent service providers. At the bottom of the form it asks for your banking info – this last section is a concern to several persons we met on the ground because most of them said they don’t have bank account or a credit union account. Luis Perez sums up that concern.
Luis Perez
“Now, when I done full out the form if you nuh have a bank account they nuh wah give you nothing. The question I the ask is if one of your family members have if they still could give you through that account and they said no you need your account. To me that is like no kinda solution. My next step dah just fi go back home and stay deh and see what I wah do because I nuh have nothing to eat home and milk and pampers. Dah nuh like I lazy or nuh wah go work it is just that people don’t want to hire you right now.”
Before the site went down at least five thousand persons had signed up online – and several more thousand submitted the hard copies of the form. And for those who are approved and will receive the relief – Prime Minister Dean Barrow says that they can expect it pretty soon:
Dean Barrow
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“There has already been a first rush of applications. The verification process is underway, and people should be seeing their money in the banks within two or so business days.”
Reporting for News Five, I’m Andrea Polanco.
