Status: 01/29/2022 08:55 a.m
Federal Minister of Economics Habeck wants to extend the Corona financial aid beyond March – if necessary. The rapid spread of the Omicron variant is a new endurance test for many companies and their employees.
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck has announced an extension of the Corona aid for companies. “I hope that we will be in a different situation at the end of March. But if it is necessary to extend the aid again to ensure the survival of hard-hit companies, then we in the federal government will provide the funds for this,” said the Greens -Politician of the Funke media group.
The resolution paper on the consultations between Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the heads of state governments on January 24 said that the federal government wanted to check whether the Corona economic aid and the special regulations for short-time work benefits would be extended beyond March.
4370 applications since January 7th
Habeck announced that the latest aid had started well. The first partial payments, provisional advance payments, have been flowing since January 18 and have arrived in the accounts of those affected. Since January 7, 4370 applications for bridging aid IV with a volume of around 222 million euros have been made, reported the Funke media, citing the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
With the bridging aid IV, companies that continue to be severely affected by the corona pandemic will receive state support for the period from January to March. The money does not have to be paid back.
According to the report, there are also 28,847 applications for restart aid with a funding volume of 130 million euros. Restart Assistance is a self-employed program. You can get up to 1500 euros per month from the state, so a total of 4500 euros. According to the report, around half of all applications come from the three federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Hesse, and more than half of the application amount comes from the catering and hotel sectors.
Help even with temporary closure
The Federal Ministry of Economics has made access to economic aid easier. Companies can claim bridging aid IV in January and February even if they close temporarily. Drops in sales are recognized if maintaining business operations would be uneconomical due to the corona restrictions. “Then these companies can receive bridging aid IV if there is a drop in sales of at least 30 percent,” according to the Funke media group from the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Habeck noted that the rapid spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus is a new stress test for many companies and their employees. “We are therefore continuing to provide support with the Corona economic aid.”