Hundreds get help to self-isolate

Hundreds of people in Mid Sussex received financial support to self-isolate while coronavirus rules were in place, figures show.

From October 2020, people on low incomes could apply for a one-off £500 grant if they were required to selfisolate and could not work from home.

The Test and Trace support payment initiative ended on February 24, when the legal requirement for people who test positive for Covid to selfisolate was also scrapped.

In Mid Sussex, there were 371 successful claims for Test and Trace support payments up to February 16, figures from the UK Health Security Agency show.

Of these, 242 were handed out through the main government scheme, aimed at those who will lose income as a result of working from home and who are in receipt of certain benefits, including Universal Credit and housing benefit. A further 129 were discretionary payments by the council, given to those on low incomes who did not meet the criteria for the main scheme.

Itmeanttherewereroughly 31 successful applications per 10,000 adults in Mid Sussex, below the national average of 116, when using the latest population estimates from the ONS.

A total of £200,000 was paid to support people selfisolating in Mid Sussex over a 17-month period. A person could claim the payment more than once if they had to isolate on multiple occasions.