UK FM Rishi Sunak set to announce bailout for self-employed workers: Report

The United Kingdom's Finance Minister Rishi Sunak will reportedly announce a multi-billion dollar rescue package for Britain's five million self-employed workers affected by the outbreak of Coronavirus. The recent development came after Rishi Sunak on March 20 announced that the government will cover 80 percent of employers' wage bill to prevent mass lay-offs.

According to reports, the UK treasury took a week to draw up the new package to cover self-employed workers after facing criticism for not including them in the initial plan. 

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As per reports, more than 2,000 musicians on March 22 wrote to the Indian-origin minister about the closure of their workplaces due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Media reports suggest that the government is also making a separate bailout plan to rescue the drowning airline industry in the country that is facing the most heat from the lockdown across the region and world. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

The United Kingdom has so far recorded more than 280 deaths from the 5,683 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country. There are currently 5,267 active cases in the country, of which 20 patients remain under critical condition. The United Kingdom has successfully treated more than 130 people since the disease first broke out in December 2019. 

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The COVID-19 has claimed more than 14,600 lives across the world and has infected nearly 3,38,000 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China is the most affected country in the world as experts believe that the virus originated from a seafood market in Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally.  

Italy, Iran, and Spain are the most affected countries outside mainland China, where, as of March 22 the combined death toll stands at 8,933. Italy has surpassed China to record the most number of deaths in the world due to the virus outbreak, while Iran and Spain both have crossed the 1,500 mark.

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