Italy presents 55-billion-euro plan to boost Covid-19-struck economy
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte presented a 55-billion-euro (59.5-billion-dollar) aid package in Rome on Wednesday, designed to kick-start an economy and aid citizens weighed down by one of the world’s worst outbreaks of the novel coronavirus.
“We worked on this day and night,” he said.
It includes assistance for industries like tourism, agriculture, construction and culture, as well as assistance for the unemployed and families. One measure would include benefits to pay for babysitters, since schools and childcare facilities are closed.
Other parts of the programme would support the health care system and schools to the tune of billions. Another plank would assist small- and medium-sized businesses.
Officials announced the package in April, but its presentation was delayed several times, partially because various interest groups have been working to make sure any funding created flows to their industry.
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The coronavirus – and the Covid-19 respiratory disease it can cause – has ravaged Italy, which is among the top five countries with the most recorded cases of infection and death. The latest count puts the death toll for the country around 31,000.
The lockdowns set in place to stop the disease’s spread have battered the economy. The EU estimates the Italian economy will shrink by 9.5 per cent this year. (dpa)
