includes paying up to 90% of the salaries of staff
at businesses hit by the virus for the next three
months, financial support for the self-employed
and making it easier to delay paying taxes.
Sweden’s central bank will buy securities for up to
an additional 300 billion kronor ($31 billion) and
offer more loans to banks on favourable terms
New Zealand vowed to spend billions of dollars
supporting distressed companies with its
economy headed for recession. The stimulus
package is equivalent to 4% of GDP.
Venezuela is seeking an emergency $5 billion
loan from the International Monetary Fund,
appealing to an institution it has long denounced
to cope with the fallout from the new coronavirus
on its already collapsed oil economy.STORES, RESTAURANTS & OTHER
PUBLIC PLACES
The places that we once gathered, save for
public areas, are now largely closed. That
number of retailers, national fast food chains
movie theaters and malls that are locking their
doors continues to grow.
Apple said over the weekend that it would close
all of its stores until March 27. It said that those
stores will remain closed indefinitely.
McDonald’s and Wendy’s say the dining areas
of all North American restaurants are closing.
Takeout or delivery is still available at most
locations, though some chains have declared
out an outright shutdown in areas where
clusters of coronavirus have emerged, including
Starbucks. McDonald’s said in a regulatory
filing that dining areas in France are closed. In
Spain and Italy, both hard hit by COVID-19, all
restaurants are completely closed. The Chicago
Image: Sebastian Scheiner