TEHRAN, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Iran has allocated 23.9 billion U.S. dollars to support the economy amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday.
"We allocated the sum to protect economy against huge losses," Rouhani was quoted as saying by Tehran Times daily.
He said about 3 billion dollars has been allocated to the health sector and 1.2 billion dollars as a fund to cover the unemployment costs.
About 17.8 billion dollars will be allocated in low-interest loans to the businesses, Rouhani said, adding that 1.9 billion dollars will be paid in cash handouts to low-income families.
Iran, the worst-hit country in the Middle East, has confirmed a total of 35,408 COVID-19 cases, of whom 2,517 have died.
