PM: $1,500 salary relief grants for displaced workers for June

The construction industry would remain closed for another two weeks, and the Ministry of Finance is to explore whether over 50,000 workers in that industry can benefit from some monetary relief from the State.

At a press conference on Saturday, the Prime Minister said he hoped the industry could have reopened on Monday but the daily numbers of new cases were still too high.

Dr Rowley promised to ask Finance Minister Colm Imbert to see what assistance those who work in the industry could get if they were not already part of the programmes.

He said the salary relief grants from the Ministry of Finance of other workers in the retail sector who have been without jobs since the beginning of May such as bars, restaurants and other sectors will also benefit from $1,500 grants for the month of June.

People who are not registered under the National Insurance Scheme can also apply for financial assistance from the Ministry of Social Development up to $1,500.

“We just have to find the resources to provide that help to those who need it most because without that, if we come out too soon, we could very quickly find ourselves dealing with the problem that we were dealing with in mid April into May, and that is the last thing we want,” Rowley said.