A £500 test-and-trace grant has been approved to support those who are in self-isolation across Lincoln.
The funding, given the green light by the City of Lincoln Council and North Kesteven District Council, is a response to the Government’s announcement for the test-and-trace payment late September.
It aims to ensure that no resident is losing money from self-isolating. However, it will also help in circumstances when someone cannot work from home or is struggling with low finances.
Leader of the City of Lincoln Council, Ric Metcalfe, said in a press release that it “enables people to do the right thing” in the “difficult situation of making a choice between self-isolation and feeding their families”.
The criteria for the payment includes being employed, unable to work from home and having state support such as Universal Credit or Income Support. A discretionary grant will also be given to people who don’t qualify.
Lincoln’s MP, Karl McCartney, supports the grant coming to Lincoln, after its official announcement in Parliament on 28 September.
“It’s been a proportional rise of COVID cases in Lincolnshire, the rise in its numbers have been historically quite low,” the MP said, whilst also agreeing that, even if the grant is not needed, he is “pleased it has been put in place”.
The funding comes after last week saw 94 new cases of COVID-19, raising Lincoln’s total since July to 594.
This keeps the city at a medium risk classification but doesn’t compare to the sharp rise in cases in Merseyside, Manchester and London.
“In Lincolnshire, we want to shut the virus down before it gets high,” Karl McCartney said, after hearing these statistics.
“Payments need to happen so that people don’t go to work in the two weeks and don’t pass the virus on.”
If you fit the criteria for the grant and are now self-isolating, you can apply online by clicking this link.