There are no clear criteria for determining the place where employees of other public authorities and institutions than the healthcare ones got infected with COVID-19 as this is a very dangerous issue that involves corruption risks. In such circumstances, it is not clear how the lists of potential recipients of the one-off allowance of 16,000 lei were compiled, the Association ADEPT says in an analytical note produced with support from the Good Governance Department of Soros Foundation Moldova, IPN reports.

According to the analytical note, there is probably powerful political lobby that distorts the main approaches in the provision of allowances to public sector employees confirmed with COVID-19. In the Government’s meeting where a decision to this effect was adopted, the Prime Minister spoke about 320 healthcare workers who deserve this allowance. The final decision published on June 26 envisions the allocation of 5 120 000 lei for 320 persons, as the Premier proposed. But only 141 of these work in the healthcare system. The other 179 persons work for public administration bodies.

“It is impossible to explain why the Government accepted to offer allowances to employees of the local public authorities, who were vehemently criticized, by removing the employees of ministries and the State Guard and Protection Service from the list of recipients. It is hard to believe that the local authorities worked out criteria for proving contamination with COVID-19 at the workplace, while the central authorities do not have such criteria,” says ADEPT’s note.