All businesses in England, including those with less than 50 employees, can sign up for the government’s free Covid-19 workplace testing programme to order free lateral flow tests for their employees.
Around 1 in 3 people with coronavirus don’t have symptoms. This means they could be spreading the virus in workplaces without knowing. Rapid testing detects cases quickly – in under 30 minutes – meaning positive cases can isolate immediately, breaking chains of transmission.
Regular testing could be the difference between a workplace being operational or needing to close due to a Covid-19 outbreak.
So far, over 3,500 businesses are signed up to offer workplace testing programmes. Meanwhile, over 14,000 have registered their interest in offering rapid testing, with many already rolling tests out. Businesses have until 31 March to register for the government’s workplace testing scheme. The programme will remain free until the end of June.
Commenting is Federation of Small Business chairman, Mike Cherry. “A workplace testing infrastructure that works for businesses of all sizes, as well as consumers, is fundamental to bringing the coronavirus under control and ensuring that this current lockdown is the last. It’s great to see that the smallest businesses can now apply to set-up testing facilities on their premises.
“It’s vital that they are given all the support they need to do so successfully as they focus on staying afloat in extremely changing circumstances. We’d encourage all small firms that would benefit from a testing facility to apply as swiftly as they can.”
Businesses can find out more about offering rapid workplace testing via a new online portal.
Businesses will receive all the information they need to plan and deliver their testing programme, along with promotional materials. To access the portal, please click here. Additionally, all local authorities in England are now offering rapid lateral flow testing for small businesses if they can’t offer rapid workplace testing. Businesses can find their local test site online.
