Iraq to pay citizens benefits ‘within 10 days’ as COVID-19 lockdown takes toll: planning minister
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Minister of Planning Nuri Sabah Al-Dulaimi said Thursday that within ten days, authorities would disburse benefit pay to citizens who have lost their incomes due to lockdown measures taken to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Iraq recently launched a webpage theoigh which citizens were able to submit applications for the funds This came as the countrywide shut down began to take its toll on Iraqi workers, most especially laborers, stand and vendor owners, and other workers operating in a gray area in the private sector. The webpage was open for five days.
Applicants were told they would receive 30,000 Iraqi dinars per person, the equivalent or about $25. For now, It will be a one-time disbursement per person per household if a parent qualifies.
“The ministry has completed the registration period for the emergency grant and is currently working on sorting the families that qualify,” Dulaimi was quoted as saying in the state-run Iraqi News Agency. The minister noted that a staggering 18 million citizens have applied for the benefits pay, “the equivalent of two and a half million families.”
Once the relevant authorities course through the list and decide on who qualifies, the planning ministry would work to make the payments to citizens. Dulaimi added that the Ministry of Planning was working “to find an easy way” to make the payments “within a period not exceeding ten days.”
It should be noted that about a third of Iraqis, about 13 million people, receive one type or the other monthly payment from the government.
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This comes as the authorities ease a country-wide lockdown that aimed to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease with the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan. While the number of active cases has fallen, the rate of new infections has grown steadily, and the risks of asymptomatic cases and untested infected persons spreading the disease remain.
On Thursday, the Iraqi Health Ministry reported that the total number of coronavirus cases had reached 1,677, with 46 new cases just that day. Around 1,170 people have recovered and 83 have passed away due to the complications related to the infection. There are 423 active cases, the ministry claimed.
In early April, Reuters reported that Baghdad was intentionally and significantly underreporting its number of infections, a charge the government aggressively denied. WHO also dismissed the Reuters claim, but noted that “underreporting of COVID-19 cases is inevitable” due to other factors.
Shortly after, the Iraqi communications authorities suspended the Reuters' operating license for the report but reinstated it on Sunday, with the agency saying in a statement welcoming Baghdad’s move, “very pleased the suspension has been lifted and we can continue to report from Iraq.”
Speaking to United States broadcaster CNN in mid-April, Iraqi President Barham Salih called the decision to suspend the agency’s license “regrettable,” and stated he was working with his legal team to “revoke” the order.
As the government partially lifts the lockdown measures, WHO expressed “high concern” about “unprotected behavior” some citizens were engaging in. The entity called upon Iraqis “to adhere to WHO and @MOHealth_Iraq recommendations to avoid gatherings and maintain social distancing.”
“Violating protection measures could lead to the re-positioning of a complete lockdown again,” warned WHO.
Editing by John J. Catherine