The number of confirmed coronavirus patients in the Republic has risen to 785 after 102 newly discovered cases were confirmed on Saturday evening. The Government was scrambling this weekend to amend its €203 per week pandemic unemployment payment scheme which Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has admitted is likely to be insufficient for many people. More than 140,000 people have lost their jobs in the State so far as a result of restrictions introduced to curb the virus. ProposalIn the interim, the Government has announced changes to its existing financial support arrangements, which would allow employers to top up the Covid-19 unemployment payment offered by the State. While acknowledging the concerns around the €203 payment, Mr Donohoe said: “We have to be highly responsive.

Source: The Irish Times March 21, 2020 18:57 UTC