Deadline approaches for lateral flow tests

Deadline approaches for lateral flow tests

All business have until the 31^st of March to order lateral flow tests for their employees.

According to the BBC “More than 48,000 businesses in England have signed up for workplace COVID testing.” Lateral flow testing can give you results within 30 minutes to enable you to be proactive in managing the risks of COVID-19. The GGF encourages its Members to use testing where possible especially for employees working in other people’s homes and canvassers. If successful on application for the test kits they are free until the end of June.

Some points to remember when using rapid lateral flow testing;

• They can act very well as an additional measure indicate A-symptomatic cases however they as accurate as a full COVID Test and therefore they should be used in addition to your other mitigations and not as a replacement.
• The lateral flow test should not be relied upon on over the NHS testing scheme’s which are more accurate.
• The lateral flow test should not replace reaction to symptoms e.g. self-isolation.
• Members should be cautious that testing doesn’t create relaxed behaviors, social distancing and working from home is still the most affect way to manage the risks.
• Members should prepare for the potential increase in self-isolation from the increase testing

If you haven’t already done so, you can apply for the tests via the link below;

https://www.gov.uk/get-workplace-coronavirus-tests