Moratorium on evictions or power cuts: the Spanish government extended a package of measures to help the most vulnerable people cope with the consequences of the pandemic on Tuesday until the end of October.
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Originally, the executive of socialist Pedro Sánchez adopted these measures in March 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic, which had particularly affected Spain. These measures, which were due to end on August 9, will be extended until October 31, announced government spokeswoman Isabel Rodríguez, after the council of ministers, as the country faces a new wave of infections.
Called
"social shield"
, this set of measures includes a moratorium on the evictions of families who can no longer afford their rent due to the pandemic and a ban on electricity, water or gas cuts. due to unpaid bills.
“Hopefully (at the end of October) the health indicators will tell us that we can face the future without this shield,”
Ms. Rodríguez added.
Heavily dependent on tourism, Spain saw its GDP fall by 10.8% last year, one of the worst results among industrialized countries.
The economy has since rebounded and is expected to grow 6.5% this year, according to government forecasts.
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In order to limit job destruction, the government has also disbursed billions of euros to finance a partial unemployment mechanism which was recently extended until the end of September. According to official figures released Tuesday, nearly 200,000 people found jobs in July, a record drop in the number of unemployed due in particular to the rebound in tourism.