Baku residents claim insufficient assistance from authorities in connection with quarantine

In Azerbaijan, the authorities' measures to support the population during the coronavirus pandemic do not cover all those people who need help under the quarantine and victims of forced unemployment, analysts state. Residents of the country also claimed that the authorities' support was insufficient.

According to Natiq Jafarli, the head of the "Republic" Research Centre, the aid package does not include all people affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

"Unfortunately, the government included only legal businesses in its support programme ... Now it is not the time to punish illegal workers," Natiq Jafarli said.

According to him, it was precisely illegally working people who found themselves in the most difficult situation. Moreover, not all officially employed people will receive assistance.

Nazim Beidemirli, an economic expert, a former member of the Azerbaijani parliament, believes that the number of unemployed people in the country is much higher than the official figures show (200,000).

Balamirza Sadikhov, an owner of a cafe, said that the state assistance to be provided would not be enough even to pay for the rental of the premises.

Seifulla Gurbanov, a taxi driver, said that he lost his earnings because of the quarantine regime, and his money savings would be enough for no more than a week.