90% of coronavirus aid packages sent to citizens

By Monday, some 4.1 million Israelis will have received their stimulus funds.

By HAGAY HACOHEN
Shekel money bills (photo credit: REUTERS)
Shekel money bills
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The NIS 25.2 billion Check for Every Citizen plan was reported 90% complete on Sunday, according to the National Insurance Institute.
By Monday, 4.1 million people will have received their stimulus funds, the institute said. However, there are still 800,000 people, 184,000 between the ages of 18 to 21, who have not yet received their funds. The NII said that is because it has not been able to confirm their bank accounts.
NII director-general Meir Shpigler urged citizens who did not yet get their funds to contact the NII and update their details.
CEO of the Galilee Society Ahmad Sheikh told The Jerusalem Post that he thought everyone with a bank account got the funds. However, he said many Arab-Israelis don’t have bank accounts because they are out of work and not in school, and therefore their bank details are unknown to the NII. Among Arabs, he said, unemployment is between 30%-40%.
Sheikh doubts the plan will do much for the economy seeing that families in need use it “to make ends meet and purchase food.”
The plan includes NIS 750 for each citizen over 18, and an additional NIS 500 for a first child. For each subsequent child, the family receives NIS 500 up to four children and NIS 300 for the fifth child onward.
An extra NIS 750 was wired to support those with special needs, such as Holocaust survivors or people with disabilities.
Media reported last week that the prime minister was considering offering a second-round of incentive grants around the High Holy Days, but so far, this plan has not moved forward.