Nottinghamshire businesses join scheme to test workers without symptoms for Covid-19

Around one in three people who have coronavirus have no symptoms and may be unknowingly spreading the virus.

To help stop the virus spreading, the government is making millions of rapid test kits available to NHS and care home staff, primary care workers, schools, colleges and universities.

To support this national effort, government departments are working in partnership with NHS Test and Trace to support businesses and public sector bodies to implement rapid testing, including organisations operating in the food, manufacturing, energy and retail sectors, and within the public sector including job centres, transport networks, and the military.

An estimated 734,600 lateral flow tests have been distributed across the public and private sector so far, helping workers who need to leave home for work during lockdown to continue to do so, while quickly identifying those who may be carrying the virus.

In addition to scaling up employer-led testing, targeted community testing is now being rolled out across all local authorities, which are being encouraged to target testing to people who are unable to work from home.

Local authorities will have the decision on how to use the tests, prioritising those who cannot work from home during the national lockdown. For example these could include using them for council workers, bin collectors or shop workers.

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “Keeping workers safe is absolutely crucial and businesses have been working incredibly hard to prioritise the health of their staff and customers during this difficult time.

“I am pleased so many businesses have taken up the opportunity of rapid workplace testing.

"I would encourage even more to do so and to continue to follow our Covid -secure guidance as we pull together to protect our NHS and save lives.”