LIMA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic could raise the poverty rate in Peru by up to 30 percent, Minister of Development and Social Inclusion Patricia Donayre said on Thursday.
In an interview with news network Exitosa, Donayre said that although the full extent of the impact cannot yet be measured, "it is estimated there will be an increase in poverty, by the end of the year, of between 10 and 30 percent."
The government has already adopted welfare programs to help low-income families grapple with the loss of jobs and wages in the past six months of lockdown and economic paralysis, Donayre added.
Starting Oct. 10, around 8.4 million Peruvian households are to receive a second "Universal Family Bonus" of 760 soles (about 212 U.S. dollars), as part of the aid package. Enditem
