Some Member States set out eligibility criteria for companies applying for such support, related for instance to the extent of the company’s anticipated decrease in turnover or its past payment of tax obligations. In the Netherlands, for example, companies expecting a loss of turnover of at least 20% can apply for a contribution to pay employees for three months.72 Similar provisions covering two months have been introduced in Estonia.73 In addition to direct financial support, Member States have taken steps to ease the immediate economic pressures on households. The Spanish government introduced a moratorium on the payment of mortgages on the main residence for workers and self-employed persons in a situation of economic vulnerability and for those affected by COVID-19.74 The same law also includes a ban on cutting off basic utilities to vulnerable groups. The private sector has taken similar initiatives: some banks in Portugal will allow customers to suspend mortgage payments for six months,75 while the Czech Banking Association76 and Irish banks77 introduced a three month delay. For renters, which disproportionately include those on lower incomes, the German78 and Irish79 governments have proposed additional restrictions on evictions, while measures in Greece provide for a special reduction in rent for employees of businesses that have suspended operations80 and Prague City Council in Czechia will not charge interest on delayed rent payments for their tenants.81 The Hungarian government ordered a moratorium on debt repayments for individuals and businesses until the end of 2020.82 Evidence collected by FRA suggests that self-employed people were not included in some of the initial support packages adopted by Member States. However, many have now introduced measures specifically focused on this group or ensured that packages for other employees also apply to the selfemployed, for example Italy,15 Slovenia83 and Sweden.84 The measures typically include a combination of income support, deferments of social security, pension and tax contributions, suspension of health insurance payments, access to credit on favourable terms or one-off allowances. Further measures target certain societal groups, who may be more vulnerable to COVID-19. The Cypriot government announced special leave for persons aged over 60, persons with specific chronic illnesses and pregnant women working in the public sector.85 Similarly, amendments to the Bulgarian Labour code oblige employers to grant annual paid leave, upon request, to employees including pregnant women, in-vitro patients, mothers of children up to 12 years of age or children with disabilities, and employees with a certain degree of disability.86 Decisions to close or limit the provision of some social services to contain the outbreak may result in additional responsibilities for the family members or carers of service users. To mitigate these impacts, the Lithuanian Parliament passed a package introducing sickness benefits for people supporting people with disabilities and grandparents in need of care following the suspension of the activities of day centres.87 Similarly, financial support to parents looking after children was extended to people with care obligations for persons with disabilities in Austria88 and to people taking care of relatives due to care facilities closing in Czechia.89 Wider measures to support parents looking after their children at home due to widespread school closures are discussed in Section 1.2.1. Several Member States have also introduced or enhanced financial support for individuals on sick leave or placed into quarantine because of COVID-19. In Sweden, the state will assume all sick leave costs in April and May, including 20 CHALLENGES TO THE DELIVERY OF SOCIAL SERVICES The impact of the outbreak on the delivery of crucial services such as the payment of social security benefits can have a significant impact on those facing loss of income and higher utility bills because of more time spent at home. In Belgium, the NGO Orbit Vzw reported that access to public social action centres has been restricted due to COVID-19. The impact has been a delay in decisions regarding access to a living wage and other benefits such as housing, food and health care. The NGO points out that this could have a significant impact on people with a migration background, who are more likely to live in poverty.