The Council of Ministers has approved new economic measures within the shock plan to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, which include more liquidity for the economy; support for vulnerable families and citizens; flexibility in temporary template adjustments and support for research into vaccines and cures for the disease. Social measures include deferring payment of household supplies for the most vulnerable families until September.
Specifically, the measures announced by the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, for some 200,000 million euros, include the “moratorium on the payment of basic supplies (water, electricity and gas) to vulnerable groups.” The measures have also provided for the automatic extension until September of the social bonus to beneficiary households. There is also a “moratorium on the payment of mortgages to people who have reduced their income or are unemployed by Covid-19”.
The plan includes a specific contingency fund to reinforce care for the elderly, homeless and in nursing homes and dependents (endowed with some 300 million euros).
The public spending rule is also relaxed “so that the municipalities can use their surplus if they invest it in social care items: care for dependency, social services and all kinds of social problems associated with the coronavirus (300 million euros) .
