There were just 72 approved applications for the government's Covid-19 leave support scheme last month, despite hundreds of contacts of the Sydney case being required to isolate for two weeks.
The man attended an exhibition at Te Papa. Photo: RNZ / Harry Lock
All up, 2710 people were identified as contacts of the man who tested positive for Covid-19 after returning home from a weekend in Wellington.
While in the city, he visited a number of popular eateries and bars, as well as a busy exhibition at Te Papa.
It was confirmed he had the delta variant of the virus and the Wellington region spent almost a week at alert level 2 as a precaution.
While some contacts of the case only had to monitor their health, or stay home and get a day five test, a large number had to isolate for 14 days and get multiple swabs.
People who have been told to isolate for 14 days, and cannot work from home, are eligible for the leave support scheme, which employers apply for on their behalf.
Figures from the Ministry of Social Development show 72 applications were made in June and almost $142,000 was paid out.
That is much lower than what was paid out in February and March amid the Auckland Valentine's Day cluster.
In February, 252 applications were granted, with almost $390,000 paid.
In March, the numbers were much higher, with 579 applications approved and more than $1 million paid.
Since May last year, the ministry has granted about 3700 applications, amounting to almost $21m.
Meanwhile, there was no significant spike in approved applications for the short-term absence payment, which helps employers cover their costs when an employee has to isolate after a Covid-19 test and cannot work from home.
That was despite higher testing numbers across the country, because of the Sydney case.
In June, 1287 applications were granted, with $566,000 paid. That compared to 1026 grants in May, with $497,000 paid.
Since the scheme began in February, 10,700 applications have been approved, totalling just over $5,334,000.
