SINGAPORE — For Singaporeans and permanent residents seeking the one-off S$500 financial aid through the Temporary Relief Fund, online applications will be opened next week.

Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for Social and Family Development, said this in a Facebook post on Friday (April 3).

He also said that to date, more than 60,000 submissions have been received since applications opened on Wednesday.

Applicants, who have to fulfil certain criteria to qualify for the aid, have been heading to the various community centres (CCs) and social service offices run by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) around the island to sign up.

The S$500 sum is meant for lower- to middle-income Singaporeans and permanent residents facing difficulties during the Covid-19 crisis due to job or income loss.

Mr Lee said that the counter services will be closed this weekend and will re-open next Monday.

However, applicants will still be able to collect the forms this weekend from the designated self-service areas at the various CCs and social service offices, and submit the completed forms in the drop-off boxes.

Alternatively, applicants may download the form at go.gov.sg/msf-covid19-support and drop them off at the boxes.

Mr Lee said that when the counter services re-open on April 6, more stringent safe-distancing measures will be put in place, “in line with the major circuit-breaker measures” announced on Friday by the government task force for Covid-19.

Mr Lee stressed that with the launch of the online application system next week, applicants do not need to travel down to the counters to apply for the help.

“All you will need then is your (government e-services account passcode) SingPass, a PayNow account and supporting documents. If you are assessed eligible for (the fund), the monetary support will be credited to you via PayNow,” he said.

He also reminded applicants that they do not need to rush because submissions will be accepted until April 30.

The Temporary Relief Fund was announced on March 27, in line with the Resilience Budget that Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat unveiled in Parliament to support various individuals and businesses during the ongoing pandemic.

To be eligible for the fund, applicants must first provide documents proving that they have suffered at least a 30 per cent drop in income or have lost their jobs, and must not be ComCare assistance recipients.

Those who are on ComCare assistance, also a scheme under MSF, already get support for their basic living expenses, including cash assistance as well as assistance with household and medical bills, the ministry had said earlier.