Hong Kong Government Announced Second Round of Anti-epidemic Fund Subsidy Schemes
The Hong Kong Government has announced details on subsidy schemes under the second round of the Anti-epidemic Fund. The subsidy schemes include the Anti-epidemic Support Scheme for Property Management Sector and the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department subsidy scheme.
Anti-epidemic Fund 2.0
The second round of the Anti-epidemic Fund was approved by the Hong Kong government on April and allows for the implementation of relief measures worth $137.5 billion.
The Fund includes “…an $81 billion Employment Support Scheme, subsidies to hard-hit sectors, financing guarantee scheme to help ease the cash flow of businesses, relaxed eligibility requirements for the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance to support the unemployed and the implementation of an MTR fare concession, benefiting directly and indirectly millions of members of the public.”
Anti-epidemic Support Scheme for Property Management Sector Extended
The Anti-epidemic Support Scheme for Property Management Sector extends subsidy coverage to industrial buildings and commercial buildings.
When calculating the subsidy amounts, the scheme takes into account that such buildings have more common areas and facilities and thus each industrial or commercial building block will be considered equivalent to two private residential building blocks.
Additionally, the scheme provides financial support to property management employees such as those in the frontline who carry out cleansing and security tasks in industrial and commercial buildings. Eligible property management companies and owners’ organisations will be able to obtain subsidies under the monthly Anti-epidemic Hardship Allowance and give each frontline property management worker an allowance of $1,000 for four months.
A lump-sum amount under the Anti-epidemic Cleansing Subsidy will also be given for each eligible industrial or commercial building block. The subsidy amount will be the equivalent of double the $2,000 level set for each private residential building block.
The application deadline for this support scheme is June 15, 2020.
Food & Environmental Hygiene Department Subsidy Scheme
The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department subsidy schemes will provide coverage for licence holders of commercial bathhouse and places of public entertainment as well as for tenants of cooked food and/or light refreshment stalls at department markets.
Each licence holder of a commercial bathhouse will be able to obtain a one-off subsidy of $100,000. Each public entertainment place licence holder will be able to receive a one-off subsidy of $100,000 and $20,000 for each temporary licence holder. A tenant of a cooked food and/or light refreshment stall in a market will be able to obtain one-off subsidy of $50,000.
Application to the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department can be made here. The application deadline for this subsidy scheme is May 27, 2020.
Upon successful verification of an application, the disbursement of subsidies can generally be made in two weeks.