Around 533,000 are now receiving the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment.

The Government said that around 54,000 people today received the payment for the first time.

That is in addition to the 210,000 people on the live register.

Meanwhile, some 42,000 employers have now registered for the COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme.

Finally, 27,300 people have applied for the COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit, largely in place for people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or advised to self-isolate by their doctor.

It means over 812,000 people are on some form of State support - not including people who are receiving the State pension.

The Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty at a COVID-19 briefing, 19-03-2020. Image: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

The Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty said the number of applications for the unemployment payment appear to reaching a plateau, with just over 50,000 new payments approved last week.

“It is clear that we are living through the most challenging of times,” she said.

“Never before has there been such a need for welfare support from workers and employers, with more than three years’ worth of claims being processed in less than a month.

“This is a temporary health crisis but it needn’t be a permanent economic emergency.

“As we reach the plateau of those on income support, we hope to bend and lower that curve also – getting as many back to work as soon as possible as and when the health environment permits.”

The Department of Social Protection said all approved payments will be in people’s bank accounts or at their local post office today.

Since the outbreak, the Department has processed 625,000 applications for the unemployment payment or a jobseeker’s payment.

Around 68,000 payments have been withheld for a variety of reasons – including where applicants were still in employment, had not been working before the outbreak or were being paid through the wage subsidy scheme.

There were also applications that were submitted with incorrect baking details. The Department said it will be contacting who made errors on legitimate claims in the coming days.