Farmers and the self-employed will be able to access sick pay at the higher rate of €305 per week if they fall ill with the coronavirus.
A statement from the Government reads: “To contain the transmission of Covid-19, the personal rate of Illness Benefit will be increased from €203 per week to €305 per week for a maximum period of two weeks of medically certified self-isolation, or for the duration of a person’s medically-certified absence from work due to Covid-19 diagnoses.”
Farmers can opt into Illness Benefit or non-means tested supplementary welfare allowance if they are self-isolating which is paid at a rate of €201 per week for people over 25.
Emergency legislation
An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that emergency legislation was being put to the Dáil next week in order to make the necessary changes around sick pay, including relaxing the requirement that claimants had to wait until their sixth day of illness before being paid.
“The whole objective here is to ensure that workers would not be afraid to follow advice to self-isolate due to economic necessity,” Varadkar said.
A €2.4bn emergency fund has been announced by the Government to help combat the virus but citizens are still being urged to follow strict hygiene protocols.
Glanbia
Dairy processor Glanbia is already taking a number of precautions.
It has committed to continue collecting milk from any supplier in self-quarantine while following strict hygiene protocols.
In addition, Glanbia is asking farmers and drivers to follow hygiene protocols during the deliveries of fertiliser or milk samples to Glanbia facilities for testing.
To date, there are 24 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Republic of Ireland and all St Patrick’s Day parades have been cancelled as a precaution. There is also a Government recommendation not to travel to Italy where 463 people have died of the virus.