Bahrain's Business sector hails HM King’s royal directives to extend Covid-19 relief package

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Praises poured in for His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa following his royal directives to extend a COVID-19 relief package for three more months. The financial and economic stimulus package worth BD485 is designed to help Bahraini citizens and privately-owned businesses during this time of the pandemic.

As part of this extension, the government will pay the salaries of Bahraini private-sector employees for three months from June 2021 to August 2021 aside from waving the monthly fees for businesses hardest hit by the global health crisis. HM King has directed His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to oversee the implementation of the relief aid.

Empowering private sector

The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) praised HM the King’s royal directives, saying that they reflect the keenness of the wise leadership on supporting the private sector and empowering it to overcome the pandemic. The Chamber underlined the importance of the stimulus package in bolstering the stability of the national economy and putting it on the path to recovery and growth.

It stressed the need to revise and revamp the national economy to enable it to withstand and overcome current and future challenges and crises.

Positive outlook

BCCI Food Wealth Committee Chairman Khalid Al Amin said His Majesty’s directives to continue supporting the affected people reflect the wise leadership’s positive outlook on the Kingdom’s economic stability. “We welcome the good government’s initiatives to help the Bahraini people during these exceptional times.

The citizens are the pillars of progress so it is important to ease the burden on them,” said Al Amin.

Deep care for citizens

Bahrain Businesswomen Society (BBWS), in a statement, said the royal directives reflect the deep care and great attention of His Majesty King Hamad to support the citizens and the most affected sectors and take into account their needs.

BBWS President Ahlam Janahi pointed out that the decisions would contribute effectively to revitalising the market and avoiding the effects of the COVID-19 on the Bahraini commercial street, especially in the small and medium enterprises sector, to which most of the society members belong, and which represents about 98% of the total commercial registrations in Bahrain.

Significant impact

The Bahrain Businessmen Association (BBA) said the number of support initiatives will have a very positive and significant impact on the country and the citizen. BBA president Ahmed Abdullah bin Hindi stressed the importance of the dignified and immediate response of the government. Bin Hindi said: “Without a doubt, such qualitative initiatives came at the right time, especially with the continuity of previous packages and the severe economic damage COVID-19 has caused to many institutions of the economic sector in the country.”

Frontrunner in development

Seef Real Estate Company Board of Directors Chairman Issa Mohammed Najebi said the new national package of support makes the Kingdom once again a frontrunner in the sustainability aspects of development despite the challenges that the pandemic still poses. Najebi stressed that the flexible policies and the insightful visions of the wise leadership and the government in its balanced handling of the COVID-19 crisis would lead the Kingdom to safety, prosperity and sustainable development.