Workplace COVID-19 testing announced for key sector employers in NI

Employers from key sectors within Northern Ireland can now access the national testing programme as part of a targeted expansion of asymptomatic testing.

Launching the programme Health Minister Robin Swann said:

“As COVID-19 infections continue to fall and the vaccination programme continues to deliver at scale and pace, it is important that we do not lose sight of the need to continue to control this virus.

“If we are to emerge from lockdown, we need to use every instrument at our disposal to identify and target outbreaks that may occur across different parts of our society. New testing technologies make it possible to test at greater scale, frequency and pace than has previously been possible.

“In the early stages of the pandemic, the severity of some outbreaks led to some workplaces being temporarily closed. The rollout of workplace testing will help to prevent this by identifying asymptomatic positive cases and interrupting transmission of the virus. This will benefit employers and society as a whole as it will help to keep infection rates down across Northern Ireland.”

Lateral Flow Tests (LFTs) will be used in the workplace testing initiative and will help in the expansion of asymptomatic testing across a range of settings in Northern Ireland.

Individuals with positive LFTs will have to isolate immediately along with their households. They should then book a PCR swab test at their closest test site to confirm the result. Community contact tracing will be initiated on PCR confirmation.

The Minister concluded:

“Asymptomatic testing initiatives are already operating successfully for staff and pupils in schools and universities, and for staff in Translink and NI Fire and Rescue Service.

“My officials are continuing to work closely with government departments and local government to identify and prioritise other public sector organisations and emergency services who may require access to the testing programme.

“I am also inviting private sector organisations who may wish to access the national testing programme to contact the Department to register their interest. Details of the criteria for accessing the programme, and the sectors we are prioritising in the initial phase, are available on the department’s website:

www.health-ni.gov.uk/workforce-testing.”

As a first step, the Department’s support for regular asymptomatic testing in the private and public sectors will focus on those workplaces within these sectors which:

• are performing critical functions or delivering key services;

• have more than 50 employees who cannot work from home;

• involve higher exposure to risk of infection for staff or customers.

Private Sector:

On the basis of the available evidence on infections in the workplace, the following four sectors of private industry have been prioritised for the first phase of the programme:

• Agri-food;

• Manufacturing;

• Essential Retail;

• Construction.

As part of the approach to critical infrastructure, the programme team will also consider food supply and distribution companies, logistics and distribution companies, and transportation companies.