Ramaswami: On April 23, Thursday, the German government headed by chancellor Angela Markel announced a package to cushion the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on workers and small business owners in the country. The government has announced tax relief for small businesses along with measures to protect employee wages. The details of the package were negotiated by the ruling coalition led by Markel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) with the leaders of center-left Social Democratic Party and the conservative Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU) late on Wednesday night. The deal mainly provides respite to low-income workers and small businesses, such as the catering and hospitality sector. German news website DW reported that the government is set to provide between 70 to 77% of the total net income of workers who are forced to sit home with up to 50% reduction in their work hours, if they are unable to find a full-time job even after four months. They are currently being paid about 60 to 67% of their total income. Those who still require support after seven months will receive between 80 to 87% of their salaries.