Media review for March 27, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic and its consequences,  money  to the Virus Foundation, a new methodology for determining the poverty level, the situation in the tourism sector, support for entrepreneurs, the possibility of widespread epidemic are topics of today's media.

The newspaper Azerbaijan is discussing with the expert Vusal Gasimli the budget for the fight against coronavirus, which exceeds 1.1 billion manats. According to the expert, more than 80 countries of the world turned to the IMF for help. The fight against coronavirus covers the sector of entrepreneurs and wage workers, social programs.

The site “Azadlıqinfo.az” writes that the virus has affected the employment problem. The country has a high level of illegal employment and there are no accurate statistics on this issue.

In normal countries, 85-90% of the population work on the basis of labor contracts, while in Azerbaijan this figure is 35%. About 2.5 million economically active people are employed informally, that is, in extreme situations, there is no mechanism to protect them. Of this category of people, about 70% (1.8 million people) are employed in the agricultural sector. According to the expert, it is necessary to find the right answer to the question "who is poor."

The site “Oxu.az” discusses with the expert Mehdi Babayev the need for assistance to entrepreneurs. The article refers to the creation of a Working Group to identify the most affected sectors of the economy. It is also important to correctly determine the damage caused.

The site “Marja.az” with reference to the head of the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers, Ibrahim Mammadov, reports that currently the number of patients with coronavirus in a special treatment hospital is 104 people. So far, 122 infected have been identified, of which 15 have recovered.  People themselves must comply with the quarantine regime. In the event of a large-scale epidemic, Azerbaijan may not bear it.

The site “Redaktor.az” discusses with the expert Kyanan Hanifayev the situation with tourism after the end of the pandemic. This sector has suffered the most. Empty hotels, restaurants catering facilities. According to the expert, the restoration of tourism will take time. If everything goes well, then travel can be planned for early August. People after the pandemic will want to travel actively, so this may be the reason for the dynamic restoration of tourism.