WILLEMSTAD - More than 34,000 people received financial support from the government during the COVID-19 crisis last year. The Central Bank has calculated has announced this. Without this support, the economic contraction in 2020 would be about one percent greater.

Part of the money went to keep businesses afloat. Another part went to people's basic needs. Some have benefited more from the aid than others, according to the Central Bank.

The COVID-19 crisis has hit Curacao hard. The economy has contracted by 19.9 percent and unemployment has risen. About one in four people is unemployed. Without government financial support, this percentage would be higher.