Cash relief for workers and families
People who have lost their jobs or had their salaries cut as a result of Sars may be eligible for help from a multi-million dollar war chest to combat the impact on Hong Kong.
Those eligible also include self-employed workers such as travel and insurance agents and tutors.
'We're looking for families that have suddenly been severely affected by the Sars outbreak,' said Pamela Chan Wong-shui, a committee vice-chairman of the Community Chest of Hong Kong, which is managing the funds.
'Some families may have means to tide them over, but others may have difficulties.'
The funding comes from Operation Unite, a private campaign which has raised $10 million. Ten per cent of those donations will go towards purchasing protective gear for frontline workers in the social welfare sector.
The rest would be used to assist three sectors or schemes: workers and families, non-medical staff working in hospitals, and Sars-related educational and preventive programmes.
Caritas Hong Kong will begin accepting applications on Friday. Single people applying for the grant could receive up to $3,200; a family with two to four members could get a maximum of $6,400; and those with five or more members could get $8,000.
Applicants seeking to use the grant for school payments cannot have more income than the limit set by public rental housing guidelines. They also must not be receiving public assistance or have family members with the illness because other funds have been set up to support those victims.
One of them is the 'We Care Education Fund', which has raised $10 million for children whose parents have died of Sars. The fund was started by Social Welfare Director Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun, Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Shelley Lee Lai-kuen and Director of Health Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun.
