On 20 May 2020 the government and parliamentary parties passed a bill to provide sickness benefits to employees who are:

  • at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19; or
  • the relative of a person in the higher-risk group.

For employers that pay wages during such absence, the scheme set out in the bill also allows for sickness benefits to be reimbursed starting from the first day of the employee's absence.(1)

The scheme originally applied to absences up to and including 31 August 2020, but the government and a majority in Parliament have now agreed to extend the scheme on the same terms up to and including 31 December 2020.

It appears from the agreement that the extension will be fast tracked through Parliament, so it is expected to be introduced shortly.

Endnotes

(1) For further details please see "Coronavirus – bill on entitlement to sickness benefits for employees at higher risk enacted".