London, Apr 18 (IANS): UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced that the governments furlough scheme will be extended by one month amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it was reported.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which sees the government pay furloughed employees 80 per cent of their wages up to a maximum of 2,500 pounds, will now continue until the end of June, the Metro newspaper reported.

It was originally open for three months and backdated from March 1 to May.

Addressing the media on Friday, Sunak said: "We've taken unprecedented action to support jobs and businesses through this period of uncertainty, including the UK-wide Job Retention Scheme.

"With the extension of the coronavirus lockdown measures yesterday (Thursday), it is the right decision to extend the furlough scheme for a month to the end of June to provide clarity."

The scheme will continue to be monitored in hopes that it will help employees and businesses get back to work as soon as current lockdown measures come to an end, Sunak said, adding that the future decisions about the plan will depend on the government's future steps to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Earlier this week, the Indian-origin Chancellor had confirmed that the eligibility date for the furlough scheme had also been extended, meaning thousands more employees could access support, reports the Metro newspaper.

Individuals originally had to be employed on February 28 to qualify, but now this has been extended to March 19, the day before the plan was announced.