EU, EEA, Swiss workers to get Infectious disease allowance
Published : 04 Mar 2021, 21:49
Updated : 05 Mar 2021, 00:06
The nationals of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland who are working in Finland may be eligible for the infectious disease allowance, even if they do not have coverage under the Finnish National Health Insurance Scheme, said an official press release.
The infectious disease allowance is available to persons who have been ordered to go into formal quarantine or isolation and cannot work. The infectious disease allowance is equal to the lost salary.
Infectious disease allowance is available also to workers who are not covered under the Finnish National Health Insurance Scheme.
Citizenship of another EU or EEA country or of Switzerland is required to qualify for the allowance, said the National Social Insurance Institution (Kela).
The allowance is available also to persons with low income and to those who have an A1 certificate for posted workers from their country of origin, who should apply for the infectious disease allowance, even if they know that they are not covered under the NHI Scheme.
Anyone who is not a national of another EU/EEA country or of Switzerland must have NHI coverage to qualify for the infectious disease allowance.
Kela determines whether the applicant has NHI coverage as part of the application review process.
UK nationals may be eligible for infectious disease allowance, even if they do not have NHI coverage, provided that they first came to work in Finland before 2021.
The infectious disease allowance is a compensation for loss of income for persons whom the doctor responsible for infectious disease control has ordered into quarantine or isolation or to stay away from work in order to prevent the spread of an infectious disease.
The allowance is equal to the salary lost during the absence from work. The allowance cannot be paid to the employer, if the affected employee is not covered under the NHI Scheme.
Applications for infectious disease allowance can be submitted online via Kela’s e-services. They can also be sent by post. Applications must be accompanied by the official order of the doctor in charge of infectious disease control and the employer’s estimate of the lost salary.