Finance Minister Jānis Reirs said that "a big problem is that people don't apply for the benefits. The first indicative industry is the beauty sector. From 9,000 people working in this sector, only 1,500 have applied for benefits."
The increase to EUR 500 corresponds to the minimum wage currently set in Latvia.
The increase applies to all groups of beneficiaries - employees, self-employed persons, and patent fee payers.
Downtime benefit program has also been extended for as long as epidemiological safety measures are in place, which prevents certain businesses from operating.
