Isolation benefit payments top £1.4m

Thursday 18 February 2021

More than £1.46m was paid out in 'isolation benefits' between the first case of covid-19 being identified in Jersey and December 2020.

According to figures released following a request under the Freedom of Information Law by Express, the majority of the Government-issued payments - £650,331 - were made in March 2020 when 1,752 claims were submitted.

But the true spend could be even higher, as the figures do not include individuals who are on Income Support as their Isolation Benefit would be paid through their Income Support Claim. A breakdown of this was not provided.

Islanders can claim Isolation Benefits, at a daily rate of £32.14, if they have been told to isolate by Public Health because they are at risk of transmitting covid-19. 

This includes suspected cases of covid and direct contacts identified as part of the Track and Trace process. People who have completed the pre-departure registration form can also claim, unless they have chosen to isolate rather than take a test.  Only employed islanders who cannot work from home or are too unwell to do so can make a claim. 

Between the beginning of the pandemic and the end of last year, 4,342 claims were made with a total of £1,467,492 paid out. On average, each claim was worth just over £337.

Until June, the Government did not record the detailed reason for claiming but, since that date, the majority of payments have been for ‘Suspected’ and ‘Confirmed’ cases of covid, with £236,592 and £200,078 respectively.

Overall, between May and December, suspected covid cases prompted the highest number of claims: 920. This is more than twice the number of claims for confirmed cases (427) or those at risk of transmission following travel (406). 

Between May and December 2020, £132,833 was paid out to islanders deemed a ‘Transmission Risk’ as a result of travel. 

£95,059 has been paid out to those living with a confirmed or suspected case. 

Meanwhile, only £6,843 has been paid out to direct contacts, the majority of which was in July (£2,002).

The figures show a sharp reduction in claims in the summer, with 44 and 30 claims in June and July respectively. The number of claims then picked up again in August, reaching 110, almost the same as in May, 116.

Claim numbers then kept rising and in October, they had doubled from the previous month, going from 156 to 366.

The number of claims then reached 971 in December with a total of £345,545 paid out. £131,029 and £102,280 went to 262 Confirmed and 291 Suspected cases respectively.

Those at risk of transmission within their household received £78,586.