on the condition of anonymity because they
weren’t authorized to speak publicly.
The British government has unveiled a massive
economic support package that it hopes will
contain some of the damage of the coronavirus
outbreak. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said
his government will “act like any wartime
government and do whatever it takes to support
the economy.” Among a raft of measures,
Treasury chief Rishi Sunak said the government
would provide a 330 billion pounds ($405
billion) worth of government-backed loans and
guarantees for small and large businesses, which
is equivalent to 15% of the country’s annual GDP.
He said the scheme should be up and running
by the start of next week.
Spain will mobilize 200 billion euros or the
equivalent to one fifth of the country’s annual
output in loans, credit guarantees and subsidies
for workers and vulnerable citizens, Prime
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced.
Greece will provide 2 billion euros to help
businesses hit by a loss of revenue due to the
conronavirus outbreak, while the state will pay
part of employees’ salaries in affected sectors.
France’s government pledged 45 billion euros
($50 billion) in aid for small businesses. That’s in
addition to tens of billions already promised for
French workers forced to stop working because
of store and restaurant closures and strict new
confinement measures.
The Dutch government has announced a
multibillion-euro (dollar) raft of measures to
prop up businesses and workers hit by the
coronavirus and the restrictive measures put in
place to slow its spread. The support package