Australia Ready To Provide More COVID-19 Cash Assistance For Freelancers

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JAKARTA - Australia will again provide cash assistance for freelancers who must undergo quarantine due to COVID-19 infection, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday.

The country is facing a new wave of COVID-19 triggered by the Omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5.

Authorities warn the latest outbreak could put a strain on the health system.

"I want to make sure people are not left out, that those who are vulnerable are taken care of," Albanese told the press after meeting state leaders.

"No one (should) be faced with the unpleasant choice, of not being able to live in isolation properly without losing income and without facing a very difficult situation," he said.

Albanese said grants of up to AUD 750 (Rp 7.64 million) for each seven-day quarantine period would be valid again and extended until September 30.

Previously the policy ended on June 30 last.

The extension will cost about A$800 million (Rp8.15 trillion), which will be shared by the federal and state governments, Albanese said.

The public can register for the assistance starting July 20.

By the end of last year, the government had spent nearly A$13 billion (Rp132.39 trillion) on 2.4 million workers in pandemic assistance, according to official data.

Total federal aid since the pandemic began is estimated at more than A$300 billion (Rp3.01 quadrillion).

Authorities have asked the public to wear masks indoors and undergo booster vaccinations as Australia prepares for "millions" of new cases in the next few weeks.

In addition to COVID-19, the country has also been hit by an outbreak of seasonal flu.

The new wave is likely to peak in August, Albanese said.

He added that health authorities had equated the infection rate of the new variant with measles.

Hospitalization cases in a number of states have surpassed previous records. More than 4,600 patients are now being treated for COVID-19 across Australia.

Since the start of the pandemic, the country has reported some 8.7 million cases of COVID-19 and 10,549 deaths, far lower than most other countries.