Essex County Council providing extra funding to help people who need to self-isolate to stay at home.

Because the new variant of COVID-19 is spreading so fast, it is important that everybody asked to self-isolate does so. Essex County Council has created a £3 million funding pot to ensure that those that must stay at home are given the financial means to do so, with £377,317 of the fund being allocated to Basildon Borough. The £500 grant per resident will be a one-off payment to cover the two-week period of self-isolation.

Residents who test positive for Covid-19 could be entitled to a £500 Test and Trace Support Payment from the Government but many residents who have to self-isolate may be ineligible for the Government payment. It is these people this new fund aims to help. People may not qualify for Government support because, for instance, they are on zero hours contracts, self-employed and trading for less than one year or self-employed without access to support because of low trading returns.

"Essex County Council want to help people to self-isolate without fear that self-isolation will worsen their personal finances." ~ Cllr John Spence

Cllr John Spence, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said: “Throughout this pandemic we have emphasised the need to test and self-isolate. Now with the picture of rising rates we see this has never been of greater importance. Essex County Council want to help people to self-isolate without fear that self-isolation will worsen their personal finances. That is why we have secured these funds from the Government.”

The funds Essex County Council have been able to access come from the Government’s Contain Outbreak Management Fund, which is aimed to support city, borough and district councils with their test and trace isolation payments schemes.

The funds can be accessed by residents by making an application to Basildon Council. Follow the link to Basildon Council at: https://www.essex.gov.uk/test-and-trace-support-payment.