BRITS on low incomes will be given £500 to self-isolate from next Monday, Matt Hancock has confirmed.
As HOAR revealed last week, anyone who can’t afford to take time off will be given extra cash help to curb infections.
Just one in five people is following the stay-at-home rules after coming down with symptoms, according to Government research.
The payments will be made available to those on certain benefits who will see incomes drop as a result of having to self-isolate.
There are fears people are ignoring the instructions because their income will be cut if they do – or they just don’t want to.
Officials hope the means-tested handouts — ensuring taxpayers’ money is not wasted on richer people — will encourage more people to follow the rules and reduce infection rates.
The scheme follows a trial in the North West where residents in Bolton on low incomes could claim £13 per day if forced to go into quarantine.
The cash on offer will be significantly more than the maximum £182 that was made available in the pilot scheme.
The government is also introducing new laws that will see anyone – not just those on benefits – slapped with a £10,000 fine if they ignore calls to quarantine.
Until now, the rules have been voluntary and relied on goodwill.
A Government source said: “The carrot and stick approach is about getting more people to follow the rules and stopping this virus from spreading.”
Brits who have been contacted by the NHS Test and Trace team are required to self-isolate for 14 days in a bid to reduce the risk of spreading the deadly Covid-19.
And self isolation will be made mandatory too, forcing people to stay home and stop spreading the bug to others.
Boris Johnson said at the weekend: “People who choose to ignore the rules will face significant fines.
“We need to do all we can to control the spread of this virus, to prevent the most vulnerable people from becoming infected, and to protect the NHS and save lives.
“And while most people are doing their absolute level best to comply with the rules, I don’t want to see a situation where people don’t feel they are financially able to self-isolate.”
Nearly 62,000 people were told to self-isolate by contact tracers in the first week of September, which was almost double the figure of the previous seven days.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) now warns of “evidence of low adherence to self-isolation”.
Yesterday Mr Hancock admitted he would snitch on his neighbours if they were breaking coronavirus rules.
He urged other people to call the police and report them if they were a threat to the health of others.
