Naga Munchetty grills George Eustice on ‘£500 covid payment’

The self-isolation plan being considered by ministers follows research that only a tiny 17 percent of people with Covid-19 symptoms come forward to get tested for fear they will miss out on work, and therefore an income. The proposal would be very expensive, however, costing the Government a huge £435million a week or £2billion per month. The proposal was revealed in a 16-page policy document drawn up by Health Secretary Matt Hancock and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Who can get the £500 payment to self isolate?

It is understood, at the moment, that the payment is for everyone who tests positive for Covid.

Although it may seem office workers who can continue doing their jobs from home wouldn’t qualify, this doesn’t appear to be the case.

Office workers, alongside those who work on-site, will be eligible for the payment in an effort to motivate as many people as possible to self-isolate.

The author of the document said only one-in-four people self isolate for the full 10 days, while 15 percent continue going to work.

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The document reads: “Wanting to avoid self-isolation is now the biggest reported barrier to requesting a test.”

Outlining the proposal, the document continues: “Anyone who tested positive for coronavirus, irrespective of their age, employment status or ability to work from home, would be eligible for a TTSP (Test and Trace Support Payment).

“This would be straight forward for local authorities to administer, though it would lead to significantly greater volumes of applications than under the current scheme.”

The Health Department is also recommending police should be given access to health data in an effort to crack down on quarantine breaches.

A programme of nationwide self-testing is being proposed, so that those who test negative can return to work, in a wide-ranging support package aimed at preventing hardship spreading the virus.

Questioned about the plan to implement the £500 payment, cabinet minister George Eustice said: “No decisions have been made on this”.

Mr Eustice added: “This is a dynamic fast-moving situation with the pandemic. We’re always keeping multiple policies under review.”

The Environment Secretary said the Government had “always recognised if you ask people to self isolate through contact-tracing, they’ve been in contact with someone who’s had the virus, that is a financial challenge for some”.

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He added: “That’s why we have always had a £500 payment for those who qualify for certain benefits.

“I’m not going to comment on this particular paper, but we have always kept it under review.

“We do need people, if they are asked to self-isolate because they’ve been contacted through test-and-trace, we do need them to self-isolate.

“And, obviously, we always review the reasons why they might not [self-isolate].”

A DHSC spokesperson said: “We are in one of the toughest moments off this pandemic and it is incumbent on all of us to help protect the NHS by staying at home and following the rules.

“All local authorities costs for administering the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme are covered by the Government, and each authority is empowered to make discretionary payments outside of the scheme.

“£50million was invested when the scheme launched, and we are providing a further £20million to help support people on low incomes who need to self-isolate.

“We also recognise the impact of the pandemic on people’s mental health and wellbeing which is why mental health services have remained open throughout the pandemic.”

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