PM Chastenet implements monthly payment for eligible persons

(St. Lucia News Online) Prime Minister Allen Chastanet announced Wednesday that temporary income support will be provided to contributors and non-contributors of the National Insurance Corporation (NIC) and a monthly allowance for persons who lost their jobs due to COVID-19.

He made the disclosure during an address to the nation which detailed phase one of the Saint Lucia government’s ‘Social Stabilization Programme — a response to the impact of COVID-19 on Saint Lucia.

Starting April 1, 2020, Prime Minister Chastanet said NIC contributors will receive a monthly payment of between $500 and $1,500, relative to their salaries, for three months “in the first instance”.

To be eligible, persons had to have paid contributions to the fund for at least one month prior to February 2020, became unemployed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and must not have been in receipt of other benefits from the NIC, Chastanet said.

The NIC allowance is estimated to cost between $33 million and $80 million over a three-month period, depending on the number of eligible persons, the prime minister said.

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Source: CARICOM TODAY