Government Ministers are to discuss proposals to pay anyone in England who tests positive for Covid-19 £500 to self-isolate according to a leaked document from the Department of Health.
A senior government source cast doubt on the idea, saying it had been drawn up by officials and had not been considered by the prime minister.
Introducing a universal £500 payment could cost up to £453m per week – 12 times the cost of the current payouts.
BBC Newsnight’s Katie Razzall says ministers are aware self-isolation is crucial for stopping the spread of coronavirus and the “options paper” has been drawn up by civil servants at the Department of Health.
It became a legal requirement last September for anyone in England testing positive for coronavirus to self-isolate.
A £500 grant, administered by local authorities and funded by the government, was made available to people on low incomes who are not able to work from home.
Between October and December last year, three-quarters of the 49,877 applications were rejected, the data showed.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said the issue of financial support for people self-isolating was “always kept under review”.
He said it was “quite challenging” for some people to self-isolate fully if they were financially vulnerable and needed to carry on working.
“We’ve got to consider all sorts of policies in order to make sure that people abide by the rules”.
Unity News Network (UNN) Staff Writer | To find out more details about our staff, please head to the About Us section on our website.
