The UK Government has announced that it will step in and pay up to 80% of the wages of retained workers who are currently unable to work amid the coronavirus crisis.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed the wages guarantee in a press conference this afternoon after Boris Johnson advised that all bars, restaurants and cafes close as of this evening.
The emergency scheme is capped at £2,500 per person per month, and will be backdated to March 1.
"I have a responsibility to make sure that we protect, as far as possible, people's jobs and incomes, Chancellor Sunak said.
"Today I can announce that in the first time of our history, the Government is going to step in and help pay people's wages.
"We're setting up a new coronavirus job retention scheme. Any employer in the country small or large, charitable or non-profit, will be eligible for the scheme.
"Employers will be able to contact HMRC for a grant to cover most of the wages of people who are not working but are furloughed and kept on payroll rather than being laid off.
"Government grants will cover 80% of the salary of retained workers up to a total of £2,500 a month - that's just above the median income".
