BUENOS AIRES, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Argentine President Alberto Fernandez on Thursday announced economic relief payments of 15,000 pesos (about 162 U.S. dollars) for those suffering from the impact of two-week lockdown measures against a new wave of COVID-19 outbreak in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA).
The one-time relief payments will go to those currently receiving such benefits as a Universal Child Allowance (AUH) and an allowance for pregnancy, as well as low-earning self-employed workers.
"We are going to assign each beneficiary of the AUH and the universal pregnancy allowance ... 15,000 pesos for these 15 days that have greater restrictions," Fernandez told local radio station, according to state news agency Telam.
Lockdown measures announced Wednesday included an 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew in the AMBA, which comprises the federal capital and 40 contiguous municipalities, from the 16th to the 30th of this month.
The South American country registered a total of 2,604,157 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday and 58,542 deaths from the disease.
Argentina's vaccination campaign against COVID-19 began on Dec. 29, with nearly 6 million doses applied to date. Enditem
