Coronavirus Ireland: emergency unemployment payment of €203.

 

Bold Measures in Ireland. 

This is what Ireland is doing. 203 euros a week for all employed, unemployed, self-employed, guaranteed for six weeks. We can do the same here, too, and we need to do it immediately. https://t.co/3xnLN5gDPc #coronavirus

— James Meadway (@meadwaj) March 16, 2020

Irish Mirror. 

The Government has introduced an unemployment payment of €203 per week for anyone whose employer can’t pay them during the coronavirus pandemic.

Any employees who have lost their jobs or any self-employed people will be eligible to get the payment for up to six weeks.

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection said: “COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment has been introduced for anyone whose employer is unable to continue to pay them.

“The payment is available to all employees and the self-employed who have lost employment due to the pandemic.

“You will get a payment of €203 per work for up to six weeks (as applicable).”

I am pretty aware that the Irish welfare system is far from perfect, and the health service is part privatised and requires, expensive,  individual insurance.

But this is a good move.

This is compassionate leadership #COVIDー19 https://t.co/P7JFPdpfqn

— Louise Haigh (@LouHaigh) March 15, 2020

Here:

#COVID19: If you’re already claiming #UniversalCredit
If you’re already claiming UC and think you may have been affected by coronavirus, please contact your Work Coach as soon as possible. You can do this via your online journal https://t.co/KJjJbbK20T or by phone to explain

— Kellie Armstrong (@Kelmba) March 16, 2020

This is what our boss is tweeting about:

I'm very impressed by local communities coming together to support each other. Many of our parish councils already have very local support/resilience groups. There are also some British Red Cross groups already in Suffolk. If you want to help them, contact https://t.co/er9j4NOzI8

— Therese Coffey (@theresecoffey) March 16, 2020

The DWP could at least start by ending the sanctions regime.

Ireland: 

COVID-19 (coronavirus) and social welfare payments

COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. Ireland is trying to reduce transmission of the virus by implementing a range of measures.

The following measures are in effect until Sunday 29 March 2020:

• Schools, colleges and childcare facilities are closed from the evening of 12 March
• Indoor mass gatherings of 100 people or more and outdoor mass gatherings of more than 500 people should be cancelled
• All State-run cultural institutions are closed
• All pubs have been advised to close from midnight on 15 March
• People have also been asked not to have house parties.

Back in the UK:

Caller to @mrjamesob who makes ventilators essentially dismissing the idea that JCB or others could simply knock off 10,000 ventilators. A knee jerk, comfort blanket proposal by a populist government built on a mountain of piffle.

— Otto English (@Otto_English) March 16, 2020