The government has decided to increase the minimum amount hotel employees are entitled to in unemployment benefits from €360 to €500 from July onward, and this gives those who have exhausted them a breathing space.
This latest decision affects thousands of employees, especially in the area of Famagusta, who were not participating in Ministry of Labour special schemes, subsidising 60% of salaries.
An employer is now obliged to include them in the suspension work scheme, so that they can get unemployment benefits again in November and not be left penniless in winter, according to Philenews.
Apart from tourism, another important sector that has taken a hit because of the anti- coronavirus measures is that of agriculture – a sector of primary importance for Famagusta region’s villages.
According to Liopetri mayor, Kyriakos Trisokkas, 80-90% of the approximately seven thousand inhabitants of the village depend on agriculture and tourism. And this means that both sectors are already suffering, with the situation getting worse and worse.
Georgios Ttakas, Sotira’s mayor, told Philenews that it is questionable as to how much public finances can withstand.
For now, he added, it seems that people are holding up under the financial strain due to the pandemic but there are messages coming in already that show this will not go on indefinitely as many households are running out of the funds to support themselves.
