Martin Lewis has offered his advice on what people need to do now to make sure they get through the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak.
Writing in his weekly newsletter, the founder of MoneySavingExpert.com put together a list of 14 key "need-to-knows".
"While the primary concern is health, our financial wellbeing matters too," Martin wrote.
"Sadly, the question isn't whether the impact of the gradual shutdown across the UK will be devastating on businesses and personal finances - that's a given. The real unknown is how long it will last."
His key points covered help with housing costs, sick pay, travel and what happens if schools close.
He also covered what it means for freelancers and the self employed, as well as other employees and people on benefits.
Then there was what to do if you've booked events as well as extra help being offered by firms for people isolating or struggling for money.
Here are his key tips, with Martin adding his team has more in-depth guides for travel rights and financial help and rights that are being constantly updated as things develop.
1. Three-month mortgage holidays & credit card forbearance are available for those who are struggling - If you may struggle to keep up with your bills and keep food on the table, speak to your bank. Most have said they'll offer forbearance (tolerance and help), plus the Chancellor announced he'd got a 'forbearance commitment' from all of them.
2. Struggling to pay your rent? Urgently speak to your landlord - The Chancellor hasn't announced direct help for renters yet, though he's hinted there may be more to come in the next couple of days. Martin said people should explain their situations and, if necessary, ask if you can be allowed more time to pay your rent.
3. Employees are due statutory sick pay from day one - If you're employed and forced to 'self-isolate', whether sick or as a precaution, you are due statutory sick pay from day one. You need to earn on average at least £118/wk to be eligible, and it pays £94 a week - though some employers give more.
4. The Foreign Office now advises against all but essential travel ANYWHERE outside UK - the key trigger for travel insurance - It's initially for 30 days, though of course it may be extended. It means if you do have a trip booked in that time with most travel insurers (sadly not all) you are usually due a refund even if flights/hotels are still on.
5. If your child's school closes you've a right to take time off work to look after them - but it may be UNPAID - If schools close or your childminder/nursery shuts, by law you can take a reasonable amount of time off to look after your kids. But you don't get sick pay and you don't legally have a right to be paid for this time - though there are hopes this may change in announcements the Chancellor's due to make over the next couple of days.
6. Self-employed or freelance? You may be able to claim employment support allowance - People off work and not entitled to sick pay may be able to claim benefits from the first day you're off. The main one is employment support allowance, which pays £73 a week.
7. Everyone struggling or likely to should check now if you're entitled to benefits - As well as the specific help available for coronavirus, it's important to check whether there is other help you may be eligible for.
8. Concert, theatre or sporting event cancelled? You should usually get a refund - If you bought tickets from an official seller, you should be entitled to a refund, though not necessarily booking or delivery fees. But Martin added that you may want to consider how hard you push for it, depending who the firm is, as many events companies will be struggling.
9. Most banks will let you access fixed savings without penalty - Normally if you've locked cash away in a fixed-rate savings account, you have to pay a penalty to get it out before the fixed term's up. Yet at least eight banks have said they'll waive penalties for those affected by the pandemic.
10. Topping up prepaid energy may be difficult if self-isolating, but some firms will help - Those with a smart meter can top up remotely, others might be able to get a trusted person to take your key and card to the shop (it may need disinfecting first). Some firms also say they can help - with Bulb and EDF able to post you preloaded top-up cards or keys with emergency credit.
11. Sky and BT Sport are not currently offering refunds for sports services - If you've paid, sadly they've said there is no refund, even though live sport is now in effect cancelled though Sky's just said it'll let you 'pause' your subscription.
12. If you are (or may be) made redundant, know your rights and get a survival plan in place - We are likely to see an increase in redundancies and it is likely to be difficult for many to find alternative employment while the shutdown conditions are still on. You do have rights though, make sure you know them.
13. Got a train season ticket? You can get a partial refund for a small admin fee - You can't pause a train season ticket, but many firms will let you cancel and get a refund for the rest of the time (based on the cheapest way you could've bought tickets for the travel you've had, plus typically a £10 admin fee). Check if cancelling and rebooking later will be cheaper.
14. You can no longer get new travel insurance to cover the coronavirus - and annual policies may not cover new bookings - If you have a holiday booked but no insurance, then it is too late. We don't know of any policies offering cover for coronavirus-caused cancellations and claims, and even if you have an annual policy, most are now excluding coronavirus cover for newly booked trips. If you've booked a holiday and are affected, some airlines are letting customers rebook trips, while hotels and car hire firms are also offering some flexibility, so check.
