£500 grants to ensure people can afford to self-isolate ESSEX County Council is providing extra cash to local councils in a bid to help people who need to self-isolate. It said that because the new variant of Covid is spreading so fast, it is important that everybody asked to self-isolate does so. The £3million funding is to ensure that those that must stay at home are given the financial means to do so. The £500 grant per resident will be a one-off payment to cover the two-week period of self-isolation. Essex residents who test positive for Covid-19 could be entitled to a £500 Test and Trace Support Payment from the Government.