Victorians to be paid $300 cash bonus to take a coronavirus test and stay at home after tens of thousands of residents refused to isolate while waiting for results
- Victorians who work but don’t have sick leave to get $300 cash if they take test
- Premier Daniel Andrews announced incentive to encourage people to get tested
- They may eligible for further payment of $1,500 if their test comes back positive
Victorians who don’t have access to sick leave and are forced to take time off work to be tested for coronavirus will receive a $300 hardship payment.
Premier Daniel Andrews made the announcement on Thursday after it was revealed a day earlier nine out of 10 Victorians were not self-isolating after taking a COVID-19 test.
The $300 payment is for working Victorians who have taken a test and need to isolate but don’t have sick leave to fall back on, which particularly affects casual workers.
Victorians may be eligible for a further payment of $1,500 if their test comes back positive to compensate for lost earnings during their time in isolation.
Working Victorians who don’t have access to sick leave will receive a $300 payment to get tested. Pictured is a Colac resident being tested at a pop site in regional Victoria this week
‘What we’ve got at the moment is people who feel unwell, but don’t want to go and get tested quick enough because they’re fearful of not being able to go to work,’ Premier Andrews said.
‘This ensures that people are no worse off and, in fact, Victorians are better off because we know that these patterns of behavior are driving a number of the cases.’
‘It is critically important that we have those with even the mildest of symptoms coming forward, getting tested, those results tell us where we have to work hardest.’
Those eligible for the payment must provide a payslip or make a statutory declaration to show they’re working.
It comes as Victoria recorded 403 new cases and five more deaths within a 24 hour period on Thursday as the second horror wave of coronavirus infections continues.
Eligible Victorians are urged to call the 1800 675 398 hotline to apply for the $300 payment.
The $300 payment from the Victorian government allows workers to isolate at home while they wait for their test results Pictured are Australian Defence Force members working at a COVID-19 testing facility at Hoppers Crossing in Melbourne