[imagesource: Jacob King/PA]

In South Africa, being paid to sit at home usually means you’re a government official under investigation for some form of corruption.

Cue the suspension, while you kick back, reading books and trawling Instagram with a sizeable payday each month.

Either that, or you work for Cricket South Africa, where suspended CEO Thabang Moroe has been pocketing around R340 000 a month since December.

In the UK, however, they’re now paying coronavirus sufferers, and those they’ve come into contact with, to quarantine themselves.

Here’s the Telegraph:

People on low incomes who test positive for Covid-19 will be paid £132 for their 10-day isolation period, while people who have come into contact with them will receive £182 for 14 days of isolation.

The scheme will, for now, only apply to people living in areas with local lockdown restrictions, and will be trialled in the North West before an expected rollout to other high-risk areas…

The new self-isolation payments, which come into effect from September 1, follow evidence that some people are refusing to self-isolate if they will be out of pocket for doing so.

Those sums aren’t exactly princely, but bear in mind that South Africa’s COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress fund amount is just R350 per month.

In order to qualify for the payments, people must be employed, provide bank statements, and show notification from the NHS Test and Trace system.

There will be no limit on how many people from the same family can claim the payments at the same time, as long as all are in work and eligible for the scheme.

It means a couple who both work will receive £314 over the course of a fortnight if one of them tests positive and the other has to self-isolate as a result. The money will be on top of their usual in-work benefit payments.

To make sure that those receiving the payments are playing ball, phone calls and home checks may be carried out, as well as checking with any current employers.

Working from home is great, but not working and still getting paid also has a nice ring to it.

[source:telegraph]