People who applied for the COVID-19 unemployment payment last week will get their first payment tomorrow.

The payment will be made every two weeks from then on.

The payment is available to all employees and self-employed people who have lost their income because of the outbreak.

Towards the end of last week nearly 60,000 people had applied.

At a Government briefing this afternoon, Elizabeth Canavan, assistant secretary at the Department of An Taoiseach, said people should be aware of scammers attempting to trick people into handing over their bank details.

Assistant Secretary at the Department of the Taoiseach, Elizabeth Canavan is urging people to be aware of a scam that's underway relating to the payment.

“The Department of Social Protection have also asked us specifically to mention that they have become aware of a number of members of the public receiving phone calls from individuals purporting to be from the Department and requesting their bank or financial institution details.

“You will not get a phone call asking for your bank details form the Government.”

Meanwhile employers that have been forced to stop trading are still being encouraged to pay their workers and then receive a €203 refund from the State.

They are also permitted to top up the payment with private funds.

You can apply for the €203 payment through the Department of Social Protection website.

With reporting form Kacey O'Riordan