Mar 30th, 2021
4 mins
Due to the efforts of the FRIF forum of which BFFF contributes. On 28th March the government announced that employers will now be able to offer their employees regular free rapid testing that can be taken from home.
This model will be open to businesses with over 10 employees where it is not feasible for an asymptomatic testing site (ATS) to be set up.
From 6 April, businesses across the country will be eligible to order the home test kits online to distribute to their employees. These self-test kits will be picked up by staff from their employer with clear instructions about how to take the test. Staff will then complete the home test in the normal way, before reporting their results to the NHS using the provided gov.uk address.
In order to receive tests free of charge until 30 June, you must register by 12 April 2021 and as trade associations, we would be grateful if you would share this message with your members and encourage them to register.
Summary
Around 1 in 3 people with coronavirus show no symptoms and unintentionally, they could be spreading the virus. We need to ensure that we protect the food sector as a critical industry. Regular testing detects cases quickly, allows for positive cases to isolate immediately and breaks chains of transmission.
By registering, businesses can access government testing models as soon as they become available. Registration does not mean you are committing to testing nor does it mean that you need to place an order when you register an interest. Simply, it allows you to be better informed in assessing your specific business needs when it comes to testing.
We urge businesses to register for weekly testing even if at the current time your business is closed, or you are undecided on the model to be adopted. Along with registering, businesses with fewer than 50 employees may also want to consider community testing.
To ensure that you have access to free test kits until 30 June 2021, register your interest by 12 April 2021 ( https://www.gov.uk/get-workplace-coronavirus-tests )
This service is only for businesses registered in England. If however, your business is registered in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland but you have employees in England, you will need to register by email. Contact p-and-psector@dhsc.gov.uk for more advice.
