The United Kingdom government has extended its COVID-19 furlough scheme until the end of April 2021 as part of efforts to support businesses through the ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic, the UK Treasury said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th December, 2020) The United Kingdom government has extended its COVID-19 furlough scheme until the end of April 2021 as part of efforts to support businesses through the ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic, the UK Treasury said on Thursday.
"The furlough scheme has been extended until the end of April 2021 with the government continuing to contribute 80% towards wages - giving businesses and employees across the UK certainty into the New Year," a press release published by the UK Treasury read.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said that the UK government's measures to support workers and businesses through the ongoing pandemic were some of the most generous in the world.
"Our package of support for businesses and workers continues to be one of the most generous and effective in the world - helping our economy to recover and protecting livelihoods across the country," Sunak said in the press release.
The UK economy is projected to contract 11.3 percent in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sunak told the House of Commons in November.
The government's furlough scheme was first introduced to provide support to workers and businesses this past March, and has cost the government an estimated 46.4 billion Pounds ($63 billion).
On Wednesday, the UK Department of Health and Social Care registered 25,161 new positive tests for COVID-19, taking the country's case total above 1.9 million.
