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SINGAPORE — With borders closed and airlines around the world grounded due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Muhammad Ridhwan, 28, who works as an aviation security staff member at Changi Airport, saw his income plummet by 40 per cent since February because his allowances have been cut.
Though his 27-year-old wife, who gave her name as just Ms Nadhira, is drawing a salary as an administrator at a public hospital, the couple have seven mouths to feed in their household, including their three-month-old toddler.
Being the oldest child in their respective families, the couple also feel greater financial pressure to support their siblings, Ms Nadhira told TODAY.
“The situation is bad, because when he has lower income, I have to put in more effort to support the family,” she said.
The couple were among thousands of people who queued at community centres (CCs) and social service offices run by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) on Wednesday (April 1).
Grab driver See Han Wei, 30, told TODAY that he immediately went to the Pasir Ris East CC to apply for the fund after he heard about it from his friends on Wednesday.
Mr See, who lives with his parents, said that there has been a 75 per cent drop in the number of passengers he picks up a day since the end of January.
“It’s been stressful. It’s been hard to find the income to pay my bills,” he said, adding that he barely takes home any money after making his weekly car rental payments of S$400.
Another applicant, single father Muhammad Fadzli, 33, said that he has stopped getting an income as a public relations worker at a nightclub after the Government ordered the closure of entertainment venues until the end of April.
His chief worry during this period is providing for his two children who are still in primary school.
“I am worried about feeding them, about sending them to school.”
The S$500 from the fund may not be enough to support his family for now, but he is grateful for whatever aid he could get.
Similarly, a 50-year-old Singapore Airlines flight attendant who wanted to be identified only as Mr A, said he feared that S$500 would not be enough to tide his family through even two weeks, but if he receives it, he will be thankful for the support.
The sole breadwinner for his wife, father and three children, he applied for the fund because a drop in his work allowances meant that his overall pay had dived by 60 per cent, and he is anxious about not being able to pay housing bills and insurance loans.
“(My family) is on their toes and very sober. It is worrying for my kids to see that their father is not working, that he is not earning enough to support them,” he said.
Singapore Airlines announced last week that it is grounding 138 SIA and SilkAir planes, out of a total fleet of 147 until end-April.
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/th...plications
https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/th...plications
Though his 27-year-old wife, who gave her name as just Ms Nadhira, is drawing a salary as an administrator at a public hospital, the couple have seven mouths to feed in their household, including their three-month-old toddler.
Being the oldest child in their respective families, the couple also feel greater financial pressure to support their siblings, Ms Nadhira told TODAY.
“The situation is bad, because when he has lower income, I have to put in more effort to support the family,” she said.
The couple were among thousands of people who queued at community centres (CCs) and social service offices run by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) on Wednesday (April 1).
Grab driver See Han Wei, 30, told TODAY that he immediately went to the Pasir Ris East CC to apply for the fund after he heard about it from his friends on Wednesday.
Mr See, who lives with his parents, said that there has been a 75 per cent drop in the number of passengers he picks up a day since the end of January.
“It’s been stressful. It’s been hard to find the income to pay my bills,” he said, adding that he barely takes home any money after making his weekly car rental payments of S$400.
Another applicant, single father Muhammad Fadzli, 33, said that he has stopped getting an income as a public relations worker at a nightclub after the Government ordered the closure of entertainment venues until the end of April.
His chief worry during this period is providing for his two children who are still in primary school.
“I am worried about feeding them, about sending them to school.”
The S$500 from the fund may not be enough to support his family for now, but he is grateful for whatever aid he could get.
Similarly, a 50-year-old Singapore Airlines flight attendant who wanted to be identified only as Mr A, said he feared that S$500 would not be enough to tide his family through even two weeks, but if he receives it, he will be thankful for the support.
The sole breadwinner for his wife, father and three children, he applied for the fund because a drop in his work allowances meant that his overall pay had dived by 60 per cent, and he is anxious about not being able to pay housing bills and insurance loans.
“(My family) is on their toes and very sober. It is worrying for my kids to see that their father is not working, that he is not earning enough to support them,” he said.
Singapore Airlines announced last week that it is grounding 138 SIA and SilkAir planes, out of a total fleet of 147 until end-April.
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/th...plications
https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/th...plications
