Persons who have lost a family member as a result of COVID infection and who cannot be buried due to lack of money will be supported by the government, through the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing (Sozavo). The next of kin will receive a maximum of SRD 10,000. Sozavo minister, Uraiqit Ramsaran, made this announcement in The National Assembly (DNA). He addressed questions asked by DNA members during the first round of the 2021 budget discussion.

The minister indicated that as soon as the next of kin can prove that they are unable to pay for the funeral, they can apply to Sozavo to be eligible for support. Minister Ramsaran tells the Suriname Communications Service that the government wants to go as far by paying out to minors, who have lost both parents and are unable to pay, up to an amount of SRD 20,000. With this support package, the government wants to bring some relief to the needs of the people and mitigate the crisis situation. According to the minister, this decision has already been approved by the Council of Ministers (RvM) and came into effect on 1 June.

No one in need will be abandoned by the ministry, the minister emphasizes. Together with the communication unit of the ministry, he is developing models to better explain the support measures to society. “It is hard to lose people in the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s also hard to find ourselves in a situation where flooding plays a major role and the impact of COVID-19 on our economy, but we have done everything we can to stay within our budget, policy area, policy programs and the crisis management recovery plan. and come up with solutions,” says the minister.

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