Cape Verdean Social Security allocated 3,975 benefits for preventive isolation or quarantine due to COVID-19 during 2022, a 26% decrease from 2021, according to official data compiled Tuesday by Lusa.
According to a report from the National Institute of Social Security (INPS) with preliminary data for 12 months of 2022, these subsidies were provided to 1,163 workers in January and 1,747 workers in February. In June, that record hit its lows again, with only four workers accessing that support, but it skyrocketed to 526 in July, plummeting again to 95, ending the year at 80 in December.
The total number recorded from January to December 2022 (3975) is comparable to 5410 preventive isolation benefits provided during 2021, corresponding to a decrease of 26.5%.
These subsidies cost INPS more than 43.2 million escudos (391 thousand euros) from January to December last year, when they amounted to 65.5 million escudos (592 thousand euros) in the same period in 2021.
In a story provided by INPS for 2020, the measure, which only went into effect in April after the first cases of covid-19 were detected the previous month, affected 1,725 workers that year and cost nearly $27.3 million. escudo (about 250 thousand euros).
According to the Ministry of Health, since the start of the pandemic in Cape Verde in March 2020, COVID-19 has caused 413 deaths from complications associated with the disease, and more than 63 thousand cases of infection.
According to INPS, the peak of these covid-19 isolation subsidies was recorded in June 2021, when a total of 1,350 people were employed, of which 641 people were on Sao Vicente alone.
The purpose of this subsidy was approved by Decree-Law 37/2020 of March 31, 2020, which contained the first measures of state social support within the framework of the covid-19 pandemic, which at that time registered the first cases in the archipelago and which led to the declaration of a state of emergency, to stop its development.
The document established that it was an “exceptional regime” in terms of social protection, for workers placed in a situation of isolation, for 14 days, “motivated by situations of serious health risk”, guaranteeing “a subsidy corresponding to 70% of the reference remuneration”, after issuing health authorities of the relevant declaration.
The main purpose of INPS is to manage the social security system for workers in Cape Verde, paying out various types of pensions. Among INPS beneficiaries, 41% are actively insured (employees), 48.6% are family members and 6.1% are pensioners.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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