A total of 23,861 requests for state support of payrolls were submitted to the Public Revenue Office, which oversees the subsidizing of minimal salaries of MKD 14,500 (USD 255) for April and May.

According to PRO director Sanja Lukarevska, 21,542 businesses will be able to access the stimulus package funds.

“The requests will be processed and approved in three days,” Lukarevska told a press conference on Friday, “and delivered to the General Secretariat of the Government, which will grant the payments.”

All employers who submit complete documentation will be given details on the financial support they are eligible for, the PRO director added.

She said 2,377 requests were received from the hospitality sector, excluding the 258 applications from hotel and other tourist accommodation owners, and the 253 applications from travel agencies and tour operators.

A total of 2,177 applications were submitted from companies in the transport sector, and the remaining 16,625 requests came from miscellaneous businesses.

Lukarevska also said that self-employed persons applied for salary support. According to PRO figures, she added, the number of such submissions was 5,840.