Everyone testing positive for COVID could be paid £500 by the Government to self isolate, under plans reportedly being considered by ministers.
The scheme, which would cost up to £450 million a week, aims to encourage more people to take a test and to persuade those who test positive to stay at home, regardless of their financial situation.
The proposal, which is likely to alarm the Treasury ahead of Rishi Sunak’s budget, is reportedly detailed in a policy paper at the Department of Health seen by a newspaper outlet.
Polling suggests many self-employed workers fear they will lose out financially if they comply with advice to self-isolate.
An existing scheme offers £500 but only to those already registered to receive a means-tested benefit.
Councils also have a discretionary fund, but stringent eligibility rules mean few COVID patients have got a payout.
Research by The Independent revealed that in Liverpool 76 per cent of applications for the £500 were denied and the Department of Health and Social refused to deny the report.
A spokesperson said that we are in one of the worst moments of this pandemic and it’s incumbent on all of us to better protect the NHS by staying at home and following the rules.
And that all local authorities costs for administering the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme is covered by the Government, and that each authority is authorised to make discretionary payments outside of the scheme.
Fifty million pounds was invested when the scheme started, and it was said that they were giving a further £20 million to better support people on low incomes who need to self-isolate.
So, approximately £50 a day, for a self-employed person who has to take the better part of two weeks off work and won’t get furlough money.
The better option would be to perhaps close borders properly, so not as many people are exposing themselves to COVID and is lockdown helping? Well, it seems to be to a certain degree, but as soon as the lockdown is lifted people are becoming sick again because we’re not getting any resistance from this pestilent virus.
And those people that aren’t working because of the virus should be getting furlough pay during isolation because it’s the fairest option and giving people £500 probably won’t dissuade them from going out – it’s an absurd notion.
At the moment there are probably people out there who are hiding their symptoms because they can’t take weeks off work unpaid, and if they can magic this money up, then they can magic some extra cash for our hard-working doctors and nurses.
And paying people seems a tad creepy to me.
Are they now going to ask you to provide all bank statements to prove that you’re isolating and your job details, and then they determine if they want to pay you, or not. They may as well be asking for the blood from your slit wrist. It’s just a joke.
And there doesn’t seem to be any logic in this because people who are tight for cash might be encouraged to go out to try and get it to have another source of income – what a brainless Government we have, and this is from a Government that still refuses to feed hungry children.
More bad ideas and ineffective solutions, with one stupid idea after another stupid idea.
Anything to keep case and data numbers up. The numbers have been dropping, but unfortunately, false positives have been prevalent in people who have no symptoms and no infection.
And it seems that the Government’s strategy is disintegrating, so now they’re trying to bribe people – what a wicked Government we have.
