£500 available for those asked to self-isolate under new schemes
PEOPLE in Wales asked to selfisolate after contracting coronavirus or being a close contact of someone with Covid-19 will now be eligible for a £500 payment.
The Welsh Government has unveiled two new schemes to provide financial support to people who are either sick with Covid-19 or required to isolate.
The changes mean anyone on a low income can apply to receive a £500 payment if they test positive for the virus or are asked to selfisolate by the NHS Wales Test Trace Protect service because they have been in close contact with a confirmed case.
There will also be a new top-up payment available to the social care workforce in Wales which will boost statutory sick pay to their normal wages if they have to take time off because they have coronavirus or are self-isolating.
Alongside these new initiatives it will also become a legal requirement to self-isolate if required to do so by the NHS Wales contact tracing system.
Coronavirus regulations will also be strengthened to make it an offence to “knowingly provide false information to the NHS Wales Test Trace Protect service” while employers will be placed under a duty not to prevent a staff member from following NHS advice to selfisolate.
A Welsh Government statement said the £500 payment will be available “to people on a low income who are unable to work from home and would lose income as a result of self-isolating”. It added: “To be eligible people must be self-isolating and in receipt of Universal Credit or another specified benefit. The final arrangements are being made for the scheme to go live.”
Those wishing to claim the money, which will be backdated to October 23, will be able to do so via their local authority website.
The sick pay enhancement scheme for social care staff working in care homes, domiciliary care settings, and as personal assistants will start on November 1 and will run until March 31, 2021.
“The scheme will top up statutory sick pay to eligible care workers’ full pay if they need to take time off with suspected or confirmed coronavirus or if they are selfisolating because someone in their household has coronavirus or they have been told to by the NHS Wales Test Trace Protect service,” the
Welsh Government said in a statement.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “The pandemic has had a huge impact on everyone and we have asked people to sacrifice so much this year including during this latest fire-break.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to support people and protect people’s health and wellbeing.
“Asking people to self-isolate is an important way to break the transmission of the virus but for many people it can mean the loss of income.
“We all have a responsibility to protect our own health and our loved ones’ too but we know just how difficult that can be when faced with a choice between staying at home and not being able being able to feed your family or going to work.
“These new support schemes are targeted towards people on low incomes and are designed to relieve some of the financial pressures people face if they are asked to selfisolate.”
Julie James, Minister for Housing and Local Government added: “There will be some people who do not meet the criteria for the £500 payment but who will suffer financial hardship as a result of being asked to self-isolate. This is why we have introduced a discretionary element to the selfisolation payment, which will be available to a wider group of people.
“Financial support is already available to people through the emergency assistance payment coronavirus hardship element of the discretionary assistance fund.”