Temporary relief for contractual obligations under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020

Businesses and individuals around the world have been affected by unprecedented and unforeseeable supply chain disruptions, manpower shortages and cashflow issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. In his speech on the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Bill, Law Minister K. Shanmugam noted the increasing difficulties of businesses and individuals in fulfilling their contractual obligations due to the COVID-19 outbreak. To complement the financial schemes, grants and reliefs announced by the Singapore Government in the Resilience Budget and Solidarity Budget on 26 March 2020 and 6 April 2020, the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 (“Act”) was passed on 7 April 2020.

Temporary relief from financial distress situations under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020

Through the three budgets as announced by the Singapore Government, a total of S$9 billion will be disbursed to businesses and individuals in April 2020 to counter the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the business community in Singapore. Businesses and workers in Singapore will receive reliefs through various measures announced by the Singapore Government in the Solidarity Budget and Reliance Budget, through the enhanced Wage Credit Scheme, Foreign Workers Levy, and the Jobs Support Scheme.