New Unemployment Relief Figures are Released

Almost forty-three thousand applications have been approved as part of the second phase of the COVID-19 Unemployment Relief Programme.  As of Thursday, those applications have been sent to the National Bank of Belize for payment.  The breakdown of those approvals indicates that roughly twenty-three thousand applications were submitted by persons who have been laid off, while the remaining eighteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty-seven were self employed individuals.  The total of approved cases was split almost evenly between males and females.  Since the beginning of the programme, there have been issues pertaining to the filling out of banking information which has led to the rejection of one thousand, eight hundred and seventeen payments.  Applicants who are recipients of BOOST, government or Social Security pension or are below the age of eighteen have been placed on a list of exclusions.  That comes up to fourteen thousand, eight hundred and sixty-two persons.