# Urgent Universal Credit coronavirus advice issued to claimants



## Northerner (Mar 2, 2020)

Urgent advice is being issued to Universal Credit claimants who may be affected by the spread of coronavirus.

With the impact of the virus worsening in the UK and more people being urged to self-isolate, questions have been asked about how those claiming benefits may be affected if they are unable to leave the house and attend job centre appointments.

The controversial new welfare system requires claimants to complete a certain amount of hours of paid work or time job hunting in order to ensure they receive their payments.

Claimants can be sanctioned if they do not fulfill these requirements - or if they miss scheduled appointments at the job centre.

This has caused concerns that some claimants could be sanctioned or have their pay docked if they miss appointments while in isolation.

There are also concerns about how potential impacts of the virus and the attempts to contain it on public transport networks could affect benefit claimants too.









						Urgent Universal Credit coronavirus advice issued to claimants
					

Fears have been expressed about whether people may be sanctioned for missing appointments while in isolation




					www.liverpoolecho.co.uk


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## Bruce Stephens (Mar 2, 2020)

The advice seems to be:
A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesperson told Sky: "Our staff are ready to support people who are impacted - we urge them to contact us by phone, or their work coach via their online journal, to explain their situation.​​"Anyone not eligible to receive sick pay is able to claim Universal Credit and/or contributory Employment and Support Allowance."​


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## mikeyB (Mar 2, 2020)

I'll believe that when I see it in operation. If the DWP staff don't believe real disabled people can't make appointments and then get sanctioned, they are hardly going to believe folk who say they can't use public transport because of a coronovirus epidemic.


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## atoll (Mar 2, 2020)

Surely the jobcenters will be the first places that get infected by community spread transmissions with staff on 14 day isolation at home whilst they recover?
how will they be able to help ANYBODY as the first impacts are felt?

ALL staff who deal with the public should wear a mask so as not to transmit the disease to the public,this includes supermarket checkout ,bank tellers,shopkeepers, post office petrol station,police,teachers,receptionists etc


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## Neens (Mar 2, 2020)

Many of us who work will not be paid or earn if forced to stay off work. We will not be in a position to afford to live either. 
 with ill health and no income or benefits I have used all my savings already.
I don't agree benefits should be stopped but not sure what the answer is for any of us, claimants or not. The system is screwed up enough as it is.


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## Neens (Mar 2, 2020)

Bruce Stephens said:


> The advice seems to be:
> A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesperson told Sky: "Our staff are ready to support people who are impacted - we urge them to contact us by phone, or their work coach via their online journal, to explain their situation.​​"Anyone not eligible to receive sick pay is able to claim Universal Credit and/or contributory Employment and Support Allowance."​


UC that takes up to 5 weeks and is not backdated. Went through all this when I was ill and had no income. Gave up in the end which is what the government hopes people will do.

Good luck, suggest you start applying for Universal credit now if this is what you need (not you, Bruce -anyone who is reading). It will take weeks to process. People are likely to be left without money. Same as me.


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## Bruce Stephens (Mar 2, 2020)

Neens said:


> Many of us who work will not be paid or earn if forced to stay off work.



No. And I suspect "working at home" is a rather unusual thing to have available. The government really needs to step up if they really expect people to self isolate for a couple of weeks (or if they expect closing schools to be practical).


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## everydayupsanddowns (Mar 2, 2020)

Neens said:


> People are likely to be left without money. Same as me.


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## Neens (Mar 2, 2020)

everydayupsanddowns said:


>


2018-2019 was awful post op and all complications which led to ill health and long recovery. Sadly forced to give up full time career which would have paid almost full salary the year I couldn't work. Self employment is great when it works... When people can work but when illness takes us it is a crippling factor. Thank god I had savings. Calculated I have to work for 2 years before I can build the safety net back up. 
The good news if forced into isolation and no income I can live off stock piled dry vegan food and am used to being poor. I appreciate being on benefits is challenging/difficult but I have had 0 income, 0 benefit/help and basic outgoings far exceeding income, with no surplus money at all. So full empathy for any mess caused by this situation. 
Sad faces appreciated, but I am ok. Just another difficulty to deal with. I had to fight for 7weeks to get SSP after op and I was on morphine at the time and in lots of pain with a body that did not work. Fun memories.... Not.


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## mikeyB (Mar 3, 2020)

atoll said:


> Surely the jobcenters will be the first places that get infected by community spread transmissions with staff on 14 day isolation at home whilst they recover?
> how will they be able to help ANYBODY as the first impacts are felt?
> 
> ALL staff who deal with the public should wear a mask so as not to transmit the disease to the public,this includes supermarket checkout ,bank tellers,shopkeepers, post office petrol station,police,teachers,receptionists etc


Face masks are about as much use as a chocolate poker. When the benefit officer hands over the forms for you to fill in, have they washed their hands? Similarly, does the claimant wash their hands to hand them back? When they have washed their hands, is the door handle to the facilities clean? Are petrol pumps sterilised after each use? And what about teachers marking homework? And what do bank tellers do to count money?

When you think this through, isolation, with enforcement as in China, is by far the best plan.


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## atoll (Mar 3, 2020)

as Dr Campbell said,viruses need humans to spread,no human carriers -no spread,not limiting border traffic may be something we will regret,


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## mikeyB (Mar 3, 2020)

The only trouble is, limiting border traffic might well dry up the supply of food, drugs and ind particularly insulin. There should be a ban on air traffic from countries such as South Korea, Iran and possibly the US. Sea traffic doesn't matter so much because there is plenty of time for seamen to develop the illness, and folk loading the ship with cargo don't matter - the virus can't survive very long on surfaces.

Other countries, of course, may take the same view of Britain unless strict action is taken.


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## atoll (Mar 3, 2020)

any border,land ,sea and air
material can pass the cordon sanitaire,as it is not a significant vector,but humans are.
unfortunatly,conventional thinking says you can't stop it,so no point in expending energy and resources trying.


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## mikeyB (Mar 3, 2020)

I agree, it’s the traffic of humans that’s the problem. And I agree that conventional thinking is not up to it. It all depends on blind luck, both here and in the US. Even Italy seems to be considering draconian measures.

The thing that troubles me is that I’m sure the people of Britain would accept such measures, but nobody dare (or I suspect could be bothered) to impose such measures.


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## Josh DUK (Mar 4, 2020)

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock has launched an expanded public health awareness campaign on COVID-19 (Coronavirus).



It urges people to wash their hands more often for 20 seconds.  You can find their campaign on their social media channels below.

Twitter: 



__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1235096386506350592


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## atoll (Mar 4, 2020)

great advice if we are in any way going to try to delay the virus from affecting us all, at the same time.

Those that can should also immediately start reducing social contact as per NHS instructions ie  no touching , social distancing ,isolation and avoiding all but essential travel.
human to human transmission is the prime vector, as well as surfaces in public pedestrian high traffic areas.


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## Northerner (Mar 4, 2020)

atoll said:


> great advice if we are in any way going to try to delay the virus from affecting us all, at the same time.
> 
> Those that can should also immediately start reducing social contact as per NHS instructions ie  no touching , social distancing ,isolation and avoiding all but essential travel.
> human to human transmission is the prime vector, as well as surfaces in public pedestrian high traffic areas.


As I am an introvert, social distancing is a doddle for me


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## Ralph-YK (Mar 4, 2020)

Bruce Stephens said:


> "Anyone not eligible to receive sick pay is able to claim Universal Credit and/or contributory Employment and Support Allowance."


That use of contributory is important.  Having been in hospital with my heart last November, an op, problems with low blood pressure and no problem getting sick notes. DWP rules wouldn't allow me to make a claim for ESA


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## Ralph-YK (Mar 4, 2020)

Neens said:


> 2018-2019 was awful post op and all complications which led to ill health and long recovery. Sadly forced to give up full time career which would have paid almost full salary the year I couldn't work. Self employment is great when it works... When people can work but when illness takes us it is a crippling factor. Thank god I had savings. Calculated I have to work for 2 years before I can build the safety net back up.
> The good news if forced into isolation and no income I can live off stock piled dry vegan food and am used to being poor. I appreciate being on benefits is challenging/difficult but I have had 0 income, 0 benefit/help and basic outgoings far exceeding income, with no surplus money at all. So full empathy for any mess caused by this situation.
> Sad faces appreciated, but I am ok. Just another difficulty to deal with. I had to fight for 7weeks to get SSP after op and I was on morphine at the time and in lots of pain with a body that did not work. Fun memories.... Not.


Yes, need to have a system that is good for those in employment too.


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## Neens (Mar 7, 2020)

Ralph-YK said:


> Yes, need to have a system that is good for those in employment too.


Unfortunately from this week's news seems there are 5 million in self-employment/zero hours and none of us will be covered by any funds the government ring fence! Typical and expected. I mean whatever happens there will be great impact.


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## mikeyB (Mar 8, 2020)

Coronavirus is one of the reasons for me changing my online shopping from Tesco to Ocado, for the simple reason that Ocado products are all selected by robots, who never get ill, whereas underpaid Tesco employees are and can't afford to take time off work.


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