Workplace Covid testing is now available to all businesses in England, the government has announced, including those with fewer than 50 employees.
Businesses of all sizes can register to order lateral flow tests for their workers, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said. The tests are free until 30 June, and companies can register on the gov.uk website until 31 March.
The hope is that asymptomatic cases can be detected quickly, thereby preventing workplace outbreaks. So far, more than 3,500 businesses have signed up to offer workplace testing programmes, the DHSC said, and more than 14,000 have registered their interest in offering rapid testing. Initially, only businesses with 250 or more employees were eligible to access lateral flow tests. This was reduced to 50 last month.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that regular workplace testing was “a vital part of our route back to normal life”. He said:
“These rapid tests will allow positive cases of Covid-19 to be caught quickly, which is crucial in helping businesses protect their workplaces and employees as we cautiously lift restrictions.”
Responding to news of the plan to drop restrictions on which businesses can access free testing, Hannah Essex, Co-Executive Director of the BCC, said:
“This is really good news. We have long argued that it is critical for workplace testing to be expanded to businesses of all sizes and that this service is in place for as long as is necessary. For the government’s roadmap to work, an effective test, trace and isolate system must fit hand in glove with the vaccination programme. It is fundamental to getting businesses open again, and to keeping them open in the months ahead. Accredited Chambers of Commerce will be encouraging more businesses to sign up for free testing before the end of March deadline.”