Call for regular workplace testing
MINISTERS are set to urge firms to carry out regular coronavirus tests at workplaces to fire up the economy.
Officials have been holding discussions with business leaders about widening the use of mobile testing units at offices and factories.
Bosses could be told their premises can stay open during local lockdowns if staff are regularly checked.
Business leaders have backed the move as long as the Government bears the brunt of the cost.
Edwin Morgan, acting head of the Institute of Directors, said: “The big question is who pays for it. If larger companies want to do it voluntarily, then great. If you’re a small company, and lots still aren’t in fantastic shape, then it’s a lot harder,”
Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “We are supportive of the ramp-up of testing if that helps businesses avoid blanket future lockdowns.”
A standard test costs around £100, and as a result only a few employers, including Formula One, football’s Premier League and City finance firms, have so far introduced them on a regular basis for staff.
Ministers hope the costs will plunge with growing investment in scientific research.
Discussions about widening testing follow concerns that economic recovery is being held back because too many employees are continuing to avoid the workplace.
The Government has dropped advice to work from home if possible but has stopped short of encouraging a return to offices amid worries about a second wave.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma yesterday said employers need to show “flexibility”.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “Some businesses are saying that employees should spend part of the time in the office, part of the time at home. So I think that’s what we want to see, that flexibility, that cooperation between employers and employees going forward.”
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock is drawing up “Project Moonshot” to boost testing, increasing his 500,000 test target by October to 800,000 by January.