Nicola Sturgeon announces expansion of £500 self-isolation support payment

The First Minister has announced more people will have access to a £500 self-isolation support payment from next week.

At her daily briefing, Nicola Sturgeon announced the criteria would be widened.

Under the current system, a £500 grant is available for people on low incomes who have been asked by Test and Protect to self isolate.

Sturgeon said the eligibility rules would be widened within days so that people will be able to access the payment if one of their children has to self-isolate from school or nursery, and the person cannot work for that period.

She also said the payment would be accessible to people if a local authority believes they would qualify for universal credit.

Sturgeon also confirmed she will make a statement tomorrow on whether any local authority areas will move up or down a covid restriction tier.

She said: "We are, over the course of today, continuing to assesses those areas that are currently not in level 4, to see whether we think any area needs to move up a level to tighter restrictions, or, on the other hand, whether any could go down a level."

She also said community coronavirus testing trials will help with plans to carry out asymptomatic tests “much more routinely” in the new year.

The First Minister said asymptomatic testing was being offered in small communities where the levels of Covid-19 “continue to be of concern and are higher than the national average”.

The scheme is being piloted in a number of locations in central and west Scotland.

“The lessons that we learn from these trials will then inform our plans to expand community testing much more extensively and much more routinely early in the new year,” she said.