RIO DE JANEIRO, March 27 (NNN-Xinhua) — Brazil’s House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill to provide a minimum income to citizens in need to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Citizens who are unemployed, hold informal jobs or are self-employed, and on a low income are entitled to the relief money but are forbidden to receive pensions or unemployment benefits at the same time.
Under the bill, eligible citizens can receive 600 reals (125 U.S. dollars) monthly. A maximum of two people can receive the cash in a household, and single mothers will receive a double amount of 1,200 reals (250 dollars).
The payments are to be made for three months, while citizens are expected to stay home and practice social distancing in order to contain the coronavirus in the country. The period can be extended if necessary.
President Jair Bolsonaro said in a live stream aired on Thursday evening that he does not plan to veto the bill, which still needs to be approved by the Senate.
One month after the first case of COVID-19 was registered in Brazil, a total of 2,915 cases and 77 deaths have been reported in the country, the health ministry said on Thursday.
Until Tuesday, all deaths from COVID-19 occurred in the states of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, where the highest number of cases were reported in the country.
The majority of the COVID-19 victims in Brazil are men in their 60s with preexisting heart problems, said the ministry, adding that they also make up for the bulk of grave cases.
There are currently 399 hospitalized patients, 194 of whom are in intensive care units, it said. — NNN-XINHUA
