05 May 2022
From this week, there is a new process for Islanders who have received a positive COVID-19 PCR test and are unable to work because they are ill.
This follows the removal of the legal requirement to self-isolate, but remains in line with the public health guidance, which continues to strongly recommend that Islanders who have symptoms of COVID-19, or test positive, should stay at home and self-isolate.
To ensure Islanders who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are unwell are supported, from 29 April they will be able to claim Short Term Incapacity Allowance (STIA) using a new online form. Information about claiming COVID-19 STIA can be found here.
People who started isolating before 29 April will still be able to make a claim for isolation benefit up to 30 days after their isolation period ends.
The isolation benefit was introduced as a temporary measure to respond to COVID-19 and since its launch, has provided financial support for around 11,000 isolating Islanders.
Based on STIA, the scheme allowed Islanders to claim an isolation benefit if they were legally required to self-isolate and were not paid their normal wages while isolating. An online claim process meant that claimants did not need a GP certificate which enabled speedy access to financial support.
Minister for Social Security, Deputy Judy Martin, said: "Isolation benefit was set up in 2020 in the early stages of the pandemic to support our public health response and I'm pleased that we have been able to support so many Islanders during the last two years. While the pandemic isn't over, we are learning to live with the virus, and with the legal requirement to isolate being removed, the isolation benefit scheme comes to an end.
"However, although Isolation is no longer legally required, it remains strongly recommended in public health guidance. We will continue to support Islanders who are unwell and are isolating for the rest of this year by providing a simple route for applying for STIA, based on a positive PCR test so that people don't have to visit their GP for a medical certificate."
gov.je