Ukrainians spend $26 million in rewards for vaccination mostly on books and movie tickets
Ukrainians who have claimed their UAH 1,000 reward for getting vaccinated against COVID-19 have mostly spent the money on books and movies, Ukraine’s Ministry of Economic Development and Trade has reported.
So far, Ukrainians have spent a total of UAH 700 million ($26 million) of the funds from the government-provided COVID-19 stimulus program.
The program, launched on Dec. 19 and available to all vaccinated citizens, gifts vaccinated citizens UAH 1,000 ($37) through a virtual cash-equivalent debit card. However, the places where the funds can be spent are restricted to a certain set of businesses, including movie theaters and book stores.
Out of the UAH 700 million, UAH 250 million ($9 million) have been used to buy books, UAH 210 million ($7.8 million) has been spent in movie theaters, with UAH 90 million ($3.3 million) used to buy rail- and plane tickets, and UAH 59 million ($2 million) spent at sporting venues.
“More than 6.2 million Ukrainians have claimed their allotted UAH 1,000 during the first two weeks of our stimulus program, spending UAH 700 million UAH to date,” the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade said.
Senior citizens over the age of 60 will be able to use these stimulus funds on medical goods starting from late January.
The state-run e-governance app Diya is required to gain access to the program’s funds, which are distributed by accredited banks.
Eligible applicants have four months to make use of their stimulus funds. The program is set to expire by the end of the year, on Dec. 18, 2022.
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