An online form will soon be available for eligible Island residents to apply for a Government payment of £500 if they have been contacted by NHS Test and Trace and told to self-isolate.
The form, which will be publicised as soon as it is up and running, will be sited on the Isle of Wight Council’s website and an easy link will be promoted via social media and other routes.
The new payments will only be available to those who meet all the following criteria and have been provided with a valid NHS Test and Trace reference number:
- If you have been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace on or after 28th September 2020
- You can only apply up to 14 days after your self-isolation has ended
- If you are employed or self-employed
- If you cannot work from home and will lose income as a result
- If you are currently receiving at least one of the following benefits: Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, income-based Employment and Support Allowance, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit and/or Pension Credit
To apply for support applicants will also need the following information:
- Their National Insurance number
- Their eight-digit test and trace Identification number
- Their most recent bank statement, proof of self-employment or wage slips
Applications are for 1 person only and any further applications within the same household must be made separately for each individual.
The new Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme does not cover people who are self-isolating after returning to the UK from abroad, unless they have tested positive for coronavirus or have been instructed to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace.
Cabinet member for resources, Councillor Brian Tyndall, said:
“The council is processing this scheme on the Island on behalf of the government and we are hoping to have the application form up and running soon. We would urge those who are eligible to ensure they apply for this vital extra support.”
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You have to isolate for two weeks .yet the payment is for less than 1 weeks wages .
In whose world? One week’s wages for those thousands on national minimum wage is £370 per week, gross.
Not everyone is on minimum wage .
You have to be on some kind of benefit anyway! What if your self employed and don’t claim anything and have nothing for 2 weeks or your employer won’t pay you for 2 weeks being off?
Cripes, those getting most of their rent and poll tax paid, will be in clover with this payment. Most only work 20hrs or less to claim such top up benefits. The rest of us will have to do a Boris Whistle if we catch such.
All or no-one should get this, otherwise some will keep the illness to themselves thus adding to the misery.