About a quarter of Singapore’s sea-based fish farms have exited the industry over the past year, figures from Singapore Food Agency (SFA) showed.

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has suggested a series of solutions related to fiscal and tax policies in support of citizens and businesses this year, Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen Duc Chi told a regular press conference of the Government in Hanoi on January 3.

Lending interest rates in the remaining months of this year will stay relatively stable to help firms recover production after the pandemic.

Singapore on June 21 announced a support package worth 1.5 billion SGD (about 1.08 billion USD) to provide immediate relief for vulnerable people and businesses amid rising inflation.

The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on June 4 morning gave opinions on the implementation and capital allocation for tasks and projects under the programme on socio-economic recovery and development.

Loans of pandemic-hit enterprises will enjoy an interest rate cut of 2 per cent under a government support package to remove difficulties for the businesses.

A support package worth 6.6 trillion VND (290.4 million USD) will be spent on providing housing rental subsidies for labourers who are working in industrial parks (IPs), export processing zones (EPZs) and key economic regions, according to the Ministry of Labour Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).

Many legislators have underlined the need to promptly launch a support package to help businesses overcome the difficulties brought on by COVID-19 while debating a draft resolution on fiscal and monetary policies, to support the programme on socio-economic recovery and development as part of the first extraordinary session of the 15th National Assembly.

Although current social welfare policies have proved to be helpful for labourers in overcoming difficulties posed by COVID-19, experts held that further adjustments are needed to ensure that no disadvantaged persons in society are left behind.

Singapore will be rolling out a 640 million SGD (476.5 million USD) support package for businesses affected by extended COVID-19 restrictions in the city-state.

More than 111,000 employees in Ho Chi Minh City have benefited from the Government’s new support package sourced from the unemployment insurance fund, according to the city’s Social Insurance Agency.

The Vietnam Social Security (VSS) will exert every effort to provide the fastest and most convenient support for pandemic-hit employees and employers who are beneficiaries from the Government’s new support package sourced from the unemployment insurance fund, VSS Deputy Director General Le Hung Son has said.

Vietnam’s major telecom companies including Viettel, VNPT, Mobifone, CMC, FPT, Vietnamobile, and SCTV have announced a joint support package worth 10 trillion (435 million USD) for consumers across the country.

The Government of Singapore will provide a support package worth 1.1 billion SGD, or over 808 million USD, to help businesses and workers impacted by the country’s “Heightened Alert” restrictions put in place from July 22 – August 18.

The Government should have more long-term policies and packages supporting and aiding businesses to recover from the impacts of COVID-19, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) has said.

Thailand’s Cabinet has recently approved a financial package of 42 billion THB (1.3 billion USD) for citizens and businesses impacted by the partial lockdown, currently implemented in Bangkok and nine provinces to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

Both employees and employers who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic can gain access to the Government’s support package worth 26 trillion VND (1.13 billion USD) from July 8.

The Government has just issued Resolution No 68 on a number of policies to support employees and employers facing difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, worth a total of 26 trillion VND (1.13 billion USD).

A delegation led by Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Vuong Dinh Hue presented 50 aid packages to pandemic-hit workers in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak on June 30.

The Vietnamese Government has responded swiftly to the COVID-19 economic impacts, which was supported by strong fundamentals, thus ensuring the economy’s resilience, said Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country Director for Vietnam Andrew Jeffries.