Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz ordered on Friday the disbursement of up to 9 billion riyals ($2.39 billion) in financial support to more than 1.2 million citizens who work in private sector companies affected by the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak. The order will ensure that instead of laying off the Saudi employees, business owners would submit a request to the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) to pay 60 percent of salaries, as a form of compensation, for a period of three months, at 9,000 riyals per month at most. It applies to Saudi employees in the private sector and who were not paid their salaries due to the impact of the coronavirus. Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan expressed his gratitude to King Salman for his order, which is aimed at easing the social and economic impact of the outbreak on the private sector, reported the Saudi Press Agency. He explained that the support mechanism is in line with regulations stipulated in GOSI’s unemployment scheme (SANED). The royal order covers all Saudi employees at establishments hiring five Saudi workers or less. It covers 70 percent of Saudis at establishments hiring at least five Saudi workers. Business owners are also exempt from paying monthly salaries, and establishments cannot force employees to work during the compensation period. Jadaan said more than 1.2 million Saudis are set to benefit from the compensation scheme. Applications for compensation can be submitted starting April and disbursement will begin in May and cover April’s wages. The royal order decreed that business owners would resume paying salaries as soon as compensations are halted. Employers are also obligated to pay the wages of Saudi and non-Saudi workers not covered in the compensation.