Updates to the Covid-19 PUP payment and the Enhanced Illness Benefit have been revealed by the Department of Social Protection.

This week, the DSP issued weekly payments worth a total €19.68 million to 75,648 people claiming the PUP from December 31 to January 6.

This is an increase of 8,743 people on the number of claimants receiving the payment last week.

All Covid-19 PUP payments have been paid into a persons bank account or post office on Tuesday, January 11.

The sector of the economy with the highest number of claimants is "Accommodation and Food Service Activities (16,098) and is followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (12,207) and Administrative and Support Service activities (8,070)."

The PUP reopened on December 7 for new claimants and has five different bands depending on the persons weekly earnings.

The five bands are €350, €300, €250, €208 and €150.

25,073 were in receipt of the Enhanced Illness Benefit from December 31 until January 6 which cost €9.7 million. To date, the EIB has cost €190.7 million.

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys recently changed the criteria for how someone can claim the EIB.

The five ways to claim the EIB are:

• Text message from the HSE that they are a close contact.
• Text message from the HSE that they have a positive PCR.
• Certification from your GP that they have symptoms of Covid-19 and/or are a probable source of infection.
• Confirmation from the HSE that they have ordered an antigen test.