The total cost to the public purse of the Covid pandemic is expected to top £200m.

Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan revealed the cost as he announced that government support schemes will be extended beyond the end of the lockdown.

He had previously forecast that it would cost £8m to £10m to provide Covid financial support during the circuit breaker.

Now the Manx Earnings Replacement Allowance (MERA) and the Salary Support Scheme have both been extended to help those unable to return to work as soon as lockdown ends on February 1.

Mr Cannan said the expected additional cost would be £5m to £7m.

He said the lockdown will not delay this year’s Budget when he expected to announce that the total cost of the pandemic to date will have reached £200m including the loss of tax take.

Meanwhile, unemployment has risen 262 over the last month, taking the figure above 1,000 again. But the number claiming jobseeker’s allowance - 1,019 - is still short of the 1,350 peak during the last lockdown.

Some businesses including outdoor trades and construction were able to return to work from Saturday, subject to there being no more cases of community transmission, remaining lockdown measures are set to be lifted from Monday (February 1).

Those who have been able to return to work over the weekend, or who will be returning to work over the next few days, will be paid MERA to Sunday, January 31. For the vast majority of customers, this will mean that they will be paid MERA for a total of three weeks. There have been 2,500 applications for MERA.

However, recognising some people won’t be able to return to work straightaway, Treasury is extending MERA by two weeks, to February 14 with the last date for registration being February 8.

Anyone who becomes newly unemployed on or after that date will not be eligible for MERA and should claim jobseeker’s allowance or other benefits as appropriate.

A Treasury spokesman said: ‘Anyone who needs additional support after January 31 must inform us by Friday February 5 otherwise we will assume they have recommenced paid employment.’

Salary Support, aimed at helping firms to pay wages, is also due to end on January 31 for most businesses.

This scheme has now been extended to enable all businesses who are eligible to apply for January to also apply for support for February 1 to 28. They will need to evidence a 25% downturn in revenue for the full four-week period.

In the previous lockdown Salary Support supported 11,000 individuals a month at its peak.

Mr Cannan said: ’The plans that are in place for rapid lifting of circuit break restrictions come as welcome news for many workers, businesses and self-employed.

’Whilst I recognise that this short circuit breaker will have had an economic impact, I am confident that our economy can rebound rapidly. This additional support will aid that process.’