40,500 ‘pink slip’ recipients for second phase COVID-19 relief grant

The Ministry of Finance has revealed that an estimated 40,565 families will benefit from the second phase of the Government’s $25,000 per household COVID-19 relief cash grant, with holders of the pink slips or query forms receiving their funds.

Distribution has already been completed in Regions Two and Nine, where some 2,576 families have benefitted from the combined $64.4 million for the project.

Regions One, Seven, and Eight have seen over 80 per cent completion, with 2, 056 of an estimated 2,235 families receiving their cash grant from the $55. 8 million for those Regions.

Meanwhile, distribution has not yet started in Regions Three, Four, Five, Six and Ten.

The Regional Executive Officers are putting systems in place to start the process in the new week.

The Ministry said the over $1.1 billion COVID-19 relief initiative was budgeted in 2021 under the Ministry of Social Services and is being executed by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development. It is managed by a committee from the Finance Ministry.

In 2020, $4.5 billion was allocated for the first phase of the grant, which started in September. During that distribution exercise, primary households received the grant, while tenants or other families residing at the same address were issued a ‘pink slip’ for follow-up during the second phase.

In December, the National Assembly approved an additional $2.5 billion to continue the cash grant relief efforts.

In addition to this measure, the Government also distributed $1.73 billion to Amerindian communities as part of its one-off COVID-19 relief investment fund aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and revitalising hinterland economies.

Persons with queries about their COVID pink slip grant can contact the Ministry on telephone number 223-7040 / 223-7039.