Taipei, Sept. 9 (CNA) A government proposal to allocate an additional NT$160 billion (US$5.78 billion) in funding for COVID-19 relief and prevention in Taiwan was approved by the Cabinet on Thursday.
Most of the additional funds will go towards the government's new round of stimulus vouchers, which will be issued starting Oct. 8, to spur recovery of the domestic economy, the Cabinet said.
An amount of NT$120.69 billion has been proposed for the stimulus voucher program, with each eligible person receiving NT$5,000 worth, according to the supplementary budget plan put forth by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).
In addition, NT$6.6 billion has been proposed for several secondary voucher programs geared specifically towards providing relief to the economic sectors that have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the DGBAS plan showed.
Other significant allocations include NT$13.78 billion in emergency relief funding to help needy families, cram schools, after-school care centers, and sports companies impacted by COVID-19 and college students from families heavily affected by the pandemic.
An amount of NT$18.91 billion has also been proposed for COVID-19 prevention and control, most of which will go towards enhancing Taiwan's testing capacity, establishing screening stations in communities, setting up mass vaccination programs, opening COVID-19 consultation hotlines, and procuring medication for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, according to the DGBAS proposal.
Having cleared the Cabinet, the NT$160 billion supplementary budget proposal for COVID-19 relief and prevention will now be submitted to the Legislature for review.
Taiwan's special budget for its COVID-19 response is capped at NT$840 billion, in accordance with an amendment to the Special Act for Prevention, Relief and Revitalization Measures for Severe Pneumonia with Novel Pathogens.
