AKIPRESS.COM - The Mongolian government has offered loans of 563.5 billion Mongolian Tugriks (about 197.7 million U.S. dollars) to entities and citizens via commercial banks as part of employment support measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Xinhua reports citing authorities.

At present, 1,228 entities and 6,870 individuals have received the job support loans with an interest rate of 3 percent, the government's press office said in a statement.

The loans are part of a comprehensive plan involving 10 trillion Mongolian Tugriks (about 3.5 billion dollars) announced by the government in February to protect public health and recover the virus-hit economy.

As of Wednesday, Mongolia, with a population of 3.3 million, has registered a total of 25,364 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 62 related deaths. Enditem