NC to offer financial benefits for people in COVID-19 isolation in these 20 counties

North Carolina plans to offer financial support to some people in COVID-19 isolation, offering help that will include partial replacement of lost wages.

To qualify, people must have been told by a medical professional to isolate and they must sign a form that they will comply with the restrictions.

Gov. Roy Cooper’s office is set to announce a $17 million program that will cover 20 counties, including Durham, Johnston, Chatham and Mecklenburg. The program is intended to ease financial burdens some people face when they are told to isolate or self-quarantine to prevent spreading the coronavirus.

The benefits will include a one-time wage replacement set at $400 per person, or $800 if the person in isolation has a dependent. The program will also include food or home-delivery of groceries, transportation, medicine delivery and COVID-related supplies such as masks and cleaning agents.

Counties from all over the state were chosen based on their high per-capita case rates, said Zack Wortman, chief operating office for Human Services at DHHS, in an interview.

Mecklenburg County has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the state with 20,502 cases. Durham has 5,761 cases, as of Friday.

The state Department of Health and Human Services will look for regional organizations to run the program, which is expected to start in September.

“Quarantine is a critical part of slowing the spread of COVID-19, but we can’t ignore the strain it puts on people’s everyday lives,” Cooper said in a prepared statement. “This program will ease the burden of isolation for North Carolinians in communities that have been disproportionately impacted by this virus.”

Federal CARES Act money will pay for the program. The program will run until the end of the year, the deadline for spending the money, or until the $17 million runs out, Wortman said.

Medical professionals will refer people who need the support services to community health workers or local health departments, according to Cooper’s office. The local heath workers will determine eligibility and be responsible for supporting people while they are in quarantine or isolation.

Wortman said DHHS is looking to community health workers and local health departments to make referrals and make sure that people are connected to other programs for which they eligible, such as Medicaid or SNAP, commonly known as food stamps.

Other counties included in the program are Granville, Vance, Robeson, Columbus, Bladen, Sampson, Duplin, Wayne, Wilson, Greene, Lee, Rowan, Stanly, Montgomery, Randolph and Gaston.

This story was originally published July 31, 2020 at 12:12 PM.