Briefs | Catholic churches to close for three days

In line with the government’s appeal, Bishop Stephen Lee announced that, until October 7, all churches, institutions, and commission offices of the diocese will be closed. Staff are not required to come to work and meetings of all kinds are suspended, according to the announcement. The diocese urged the faithful to “stay home and avoid gatherings, [and] participate in online masses.”

Work suspension for public servants

A public service work suspension has been implemented from October 5 to 7 in order to reduce the risk of novel coronavirus spread, the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau (SAFP) announced yesterday. The bureau indicated that those in charge of public services should take measures to guarantee that those services continue to be provided to the community. The SAFP’s guidelines also highlight that the objective of this suspension is to reduce the spread of the pandemic, therefore the furloughed workers should avoid leaving their homes unless absolutely necessary.

money in circulation rises: AMCM

Currency in circulation has risen whereas demand deposits has dropped.
Resident deposits fell 0.5% in August compared to the previous month, while non-resident deposits went up 8.5%. Public sector deposits with the banking sector decreased by 0.3%, resulting in a 2.1% increase in total deposits in the banking sector. Domestic private sector loans rose 1.2% from the previous month while external loans rose 0.3%. As a result, total private sector loans went up by 0.7%. At the end of August, the loan-to-deposit ratio for the residents had risen 1%, while the ratio for both resident and non-residents decreased by 1.3%.