Jul 10 (NHK) - Officials of Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward say they will offer 100,000 yen, or about 930 dollars, to residents infected with the coronavirus.
The officials announced the decision as the ward had registered a total of 898 infections as of Wednesday. The number is the largest among municipalities in Tokyo. Many of the cases are workers in the Kabukicho entertainment district and people who visited the area.
Shinjuku officials say the cash is offered as money to support people who are not able to work as they have caught the virus.
They say people registered as residents in the ward as of April 7, when the state of emergency was issued for Tokyo, are eligible to receive the cash.
The officials say they will send a notice of the cash benefit to infected residents. They say those residents are required to send an application form by regular mail to receive the cash. The officials aim to start providing the payments as early as August.
Shinjuku officials say people infected with the virus are struggling to make ends meet as they and their families face difficulty in continuing their work. They say they want to start providing cash early to support people's lives.
