Containment measures are not fully respected in Antananarivo. Several people and many vehicles left the streets of Tana on the morning of Tuesday, March 24. However, a marked improvement was noted in the afternoon. During an interview, the prefect of police, General Angelo Ravelonarivo, spoke of criminal proceedings and the withdrawal of operating licenses for the refractory. Many Tananarivians cite poverty as a reason for not respecting containment measures.
Aware of this situation, the regime is taking the necessary support measures for the state of health emergency declared last Sunday. During a daily intervention of his son on Malagasy Television, President Andry Rajoelina announced the implementation of a Social Resurgence Plan to mitigate the impacts of confinement on vulnerable families. Taxi and taxi-be drivers, street vendors, washerwomen, newspaper criers who are forced to suspend their activities, and even sex workers, benefit from social assistance and will receive rice, pulses every day, edible oil, sugar, soaps and “koba aina”. These aids will be distributed at the neighborhood level. Andry Rajoelina even announced monthly financial aid for the benefit of needy families. A kind of family allowance. This social action will be carried out in collaboration with the World Bank through the FID project.
10 billion Ariary. This is the budget that the state will allocate to support vulnerable families during the confinement period in the context of the fight against the coronavirus. The elderly and the “4’mi” will not be outdone by this decision. The latter will also receive state aid. Since Monday, the Urban Municipality of Antananarivo, the Ministry of Population and the Directorate in charge of social and political actions at the level of the Presidency have already carried out an operation to register the homeless in the reception sites. The state has also considered the economic impacts of containment. Indeed, the Social Emergency Plan does not only concern needy families, measures have also been taken to facilitate the payment of family expenses. Also, the head of state announced the suspension of payment of Jirama’s bills for this month of March. “There will be no power or water outages for the non-payment of the bill,” he said. Jirama customers benefit from easy payment of unpaid invoices after the coronavirus. The same provisions will also be applied for the payment of taxes and the repayment of bank loans. Indeed, the regime has taken fiscal measures to limit the socio-economic impacts of the coronavirus on the population. President Andry Rajoelina will make an announcement along these lines during today’s program.
Source: Midi Madagascar / By David R.
