Regarding the cooperation money provided to restaurants, etc. that responded to the request for leave during the state of emergency, it was found that the payment was delayed in Shiga Prefecture, and in some cases it was waited for nearly three months from the application.
The prefecture says, "We will work together to make payments as soon as possible."
In Shiga Prefecture, for two months from August, there were requests for closures and shortened working hours due to "priority measures such as spread prevention" and "state of emergency", and from 25,000 yen a day to restaurants that cooperated. A cooperation fee of 100,000 yen will be paid.
Shiga Prefecture explained that the benefits will be paid within a few weeks from the application, but the benefit rate as of the end of last month, one month after the deadline for the last application, is related to the "state of emergency". Approximately 50%, and more than 80% are related to "priority measures such as spread prevention".
4891 cases have not been paid yet, and in some cases they have been waiting for nearly three months, and there are concerns about the impact on the management of restaurants and other facilities.
Since the amount of cooperation money is calculated based on normal sales and the number of days off, the prefecture has strengthened the system by increasing the number of persons in charge because it takes time to confirm, and the benefits will be completed by the end of the year. I want to.
Tomoyuki Shibata, chief of the Shiga Prefecture Commerce and Industry Policy Division, said, "We take seriously how important cooperation money is for business operators. We will work together as a prefecture so that we can provide benefits as soon as possible." ..
A series of voices complaining about the harsh situation
There have been a series of voices from restaurants in Shiga prefecture complaining about the harsh situation regarding the delay in the payment of cooperation funds.
Of these, Kazumi Ito, who runs an izakaya in Sakurano-cho, Otsu, applied for a cooperation fee for a state of emergency in early September, but it has not been paid even after nearly three months.
It was a popular shop for its location near the station and fresh fish, but from the time when priority measures such as prevention of spread were applied to Shiga Prefecture on August 8, until the state of emergency was lifted on September 30. For about two months, we stopped serving alcohol and reduced business hours from 10:30 pm to 8:00 pm.
Sales are 70 to 80% less than before Corona, and now we are forced to repay the start-up funds while using the national loan system, and we continue to have a difficult business.
Mr. Ito said, "Because it is a private store, the sales of the store are directly linked to living expenses, and since the purchase is done in cash, it is difficult if the sales are small. Furthermore, if the payment of the cooperation fee is delayed, we have to think about whether to continue the store. I want the government to respond with a sense of speed. "