SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – An additional $5.4 million will be allocated from a general fund to extend the Right to Recover Program in San Francisco, city officials announced on Friday.

Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Hillary Ronen announced that the program will be extended through June 2022 to support about 5,400 workers who are self-isolating due to COVID-19 and who may not have access to other financial help programs.

Right to Recover was established in July 2020 to protect public health and make sure that financial resources are available during the pandemic.

Originally, workers were given $1,285 for 14-days of financial assistance which was then adjusted by the Office of Economic and Workforce Development to $1,000 for 10 days of isolation.

Since July 2020, $10.9 million has been directed to the program, which has served more than 7,000 San Francisco residents — 75% of which are in neighborhoods that have been hit hardest by COVID-19.

With the new addition, the program funding of $16.3 million aims to serve nearly 14,000 residents.

“As we learn to live with COVID-19, we must continue to ensure that those who are not able to work from home and cannot afford to miss a paycheck have the necessary support to recover if they get sick,” said Mayor Breed. “When someone comes down with the virus, we want them to focus on getting the care they need and the resources to isolate in order to protect their family and surrounding community. Right to Recover not only allows us to help those who may not have access to health or unemployment insurance, but it allows us to protect the health and safety of all residents in our City.”

About 46% of the residents in this program are Spanish speakers, 43% are English speakers and 11% speak other languages.

“The Right to Recover program that I created together with the Latino Task Force on COVID-19 has been a lifesaver throughout this pandemic. It has allowed low-income workers and families to prioritize their own health and well-being as well as that of the public by giving them the financial support to stay home and quarantine when they test positive for COVID. This program has been a small bright light in this grueling pandemic and I’m glad we will keep it going as long as it’s needed,” said Supervisor Hillary Ronen.

If you are interested in the Right to Recover Program, contact the San Francisco Department of Publish Health COVID Resource Center at (628) 217-6101.

For more information, visit the Employees Impacted by COVID-19 page.