‘It’s like jury service’: Pay people $50 a day to self-isolate and kill off coronavirus, US health experts tell government

Former senior officials have called on Congress for funding and outlined proposals to safely re-open US economy

US health experts who worked in the Trump, Obama, and Bush administrations have called on Congress to introduce new measures worth billions of dollars they say would ease the coronavirus crisis – including daily stipends of $50 (£40) for people to isolate at home.

In a letter addressed to Congress on Monday, the bipartisan group of experts outlined a four-point plan worth $46.5bn (£37.2bn) that could re-open the US economy after prolonged closure caused by the pandemic.

The plan – centred on testing, tracing and isolating Covid-19 cases – proposed paying Americans $50 (£40) each day to ensure they self-isolate.

Andy Slavitt, the former Obama administration director of Medicare and Medicaid and Scott Gottlieb, the ex-Food and Drug Administration head under Donald Trump, said in the letter that Congress needed to ensure that states had funding to track and trace those people who were infected and exposed, while providing spaces for people to self-isolate.

“The existing public health system is currently capable of providing only a fraction of the contact tracing and voluntary self-isolation capacity required to meet the COVID-19 challenge,” the pair said, along with other prominent health experts, in their letter.

The group compared the proposed coronavirus isolation payments to the daily sum given to those serving on federal juries in the US, which is also $50 (£40).

The letter argues that the daily stipend would “greatly increase the success of containment efforts and the ability to maintain an expanded measure of openness in the economy”.

Mr Slavit, Mr Gottleib and the others estimate that 40 per cent of Americans would need income support to self-isolate – which would cost $30bn (£24bn) during an 18 month period.

The plans also detailed $16.5bn (£13.2bn) to be spent on the expansion of the contact tracing workforce and turning empty hotel rooms into spaces for people to self-isolate in.

Combined, the measures would allow Americans “to get back to work safely and quickly, create employment, stabilise our healthcare system, and stimulate the hospitality sector”, said the experts.

Sixteen top health experts signed the letter sent to House and Senate leaders, and originally published by NPR.

It comes amid Mr Trump's push for the re-opening of the economy. However, the president has warned against the kind of full easing of lockdown conditions proposed by Georgia governor Brian Kemp last week.