Cash for Covid: No decision made on £500 payment for positive tests
The government is yet to reach a decision on a reported £500 payment for anyone forced to self-isolate, according to a government minister.
Environment minister George Eustice said on Friday that the government had not made a decision on plans to hand out payments to everyone who tests positive for the virus.
The Department of Health is mulling £500 to everyone in England who has tested positive for Covid in a bid to incentivise them to take tests, according to the Guardian.
It comes as polling showed just 17 per cent of people with symptoms are being tested for over fears they’ll be forced to isolate.
Currently only some people receiving benefits receive £500 if they are told to self-isolate but ministers are considering a universal payment which means anyone with a positive test could claim.
Officials estimate it could cost up to £453m a week if there were 60,000 cases a day, 12 times the current cost.
Other proposals include making the payment to those who tested positive but cannot work from home, or only paying out to those earning less than £26,495 a year on a means-tested basis.
The Guardian reported that a more radical option would be paying people their usual earnings rather than a lump sum but this would prove difficult for those on zero-hour contracts.
The government is ramping up restrictions as the death toll skyrockets amid fears of a new Covid strain. On Thursday the home secretary announced plans to hand out £800 fines for anyone attending a house party of more than 15 people.
The closure of UK borders is likely to be debated at the government’s Covid operation meeting today after a reported row between ministers and the Prime Minister.