Workers will get statutory sick pay from the first day off work, not the fourth, to help contain coronavirus, the prime minister has said.
Boris Johnson said people who self-isolate are helping to protect others from the virus and should not be “penalised for doing the right thing”.
The emergency legislation means people will receive an extra £40.
England’s chief medical officer earlier said it was “likely” the virus will become an epidemic in the UK.
Prof Chris Whitty also told BBC Breakfast that up to 80% of the population could be infected with coronavirus, which causes Covid-19, “in the worst case scenario”.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn asked Mr Johnson if the sick pay announcement would help those currently not eligible for statutory sick pay – such as those on zero hours contracts, or self-employed people.
What do I need to know about the coronavirus?
- HOW IS THE UK PLANNING FOR AN OUTBREAK: How prepared are we?
- WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? A simple guide
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- A VISUAL GUIDE TO THE OUTBREAK: Virus maps and charts
In order to receive statutory sick pay (SSP) people must be earning at least £118 a week.
Many people, such as those on zero-hours contracts who work variable hours every week, may earn less than this.
The prime minister said “a great many” people would be entitled to statutory sick pay.
“Others will be entitled to help through existing systems such as universal credit and we are urgently looking at the application process to reflect on the advice on self-isolation,” he added.
SSP is set at £94.25 a week, so those who will benefit from Mr Johnson’s announcement are expected to receive an extra £40.
The government has launched a major public health campaign urging people to regularly wash their hands.
Currently, 53 people in the UK have tested positive for the virus, which causes Covid-19.
A hospital worker at the Cumberland Infirmary Carlisle in Cumbria is one of the latest people in the UK to test positive.
Colin Cox, director of public health at Cumbria County Council, said the member of staff had self-isolated after a trip to northern Italy, and “did not come into work and has not had any contact with patients”.
Another Carlisle resident has also tested positive, Mr Cox said.
In other developments across the UK:
- Guests who left a quarantined hospital in Tenerife have been told to self-isolate for a further week after a British woman at the hotel tested positive on 2 March
- CCTV images have been released of four men wanted over an allegedly racist attack on London’s Oxford Street. Jonathan Mok says he heard shouts of “coronavirus” before he was targeted
- Two GP practices in Torquay have closed until mid-March, after a pupil at a nearby grammar school tested positive for the virus
- Sony has closed its offices in London, Paris and Gdynia – in Poland – and told employees to work from home. The company says the move is “out of an abundance of caution”
- The government has bowed to pressure and changed its stance on insurance to cover businesses for coronavirus losses in England, after business owners said lost earnings from the virus risked not being covered under existing rules
- Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth has called on the government to provide emergency funding to support the NHS through the outbreak, while party leader Jeremy Corbyn warned the health service was already at 94% bed occupancy before the virus hit
- London Book Fair, which was due to begin on 10 March, has been cancelled hours after major publishers such as HarperCollins pulled out over coronavirus fears
- The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has urged the government to provide support for workers who do not qualify for statutory sick pay