Cabinet announces support to private sector closed due to Covid-19 precautionary measures

Doha: The Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani chaired the regular Cabinet meeting this afternoon through video conferencing.

In view of the current conditions in the country as a result of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, and in implementation of the high directives of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to provide financial and economic incentives to the private sector to mitigate the economic consequences of the pandemic, the cabinet announced additional support packages for the sectors affected by the closures due to the precautionary measures in place to deal with the spread of Covid-19, as follows:

1- Exemption from electricity and water fees for closed sectors until the end of September 2021.

2- Extending the work of the National Guarantee Program at Qatar Development Bank until the end of September 2021.

3- Extending the interest exemption period for an additional year for the National Guarantee Program – making it two years without interest in addition to two years of payment with interest that does not exceed the Qatar Central Bank rate + 2%.

4-Raising the limits of financing for salaries and wages for closed sectors to QR 15 million for a single personal card, while maintaining the rest of the relevant terms and conditions.

5- Qatar Central Bank continues to support local banks' liquidity as needed.