Gov ramps up covid testing with major new programme for businesses

Friday 30 April 2021

The government is urging Jersey businesses in certain sectors to bring in weekly covid testing for all their employees as part of a new screening programme intended to help suppress the virus.

13 businesses will be trialling the new voluntary system from next week, with the official launch set for the 17 May.

Pictured: The Government are hoping that as many of the businesses as possible take up the offer of the tests.

The scheme will be offered to businesses across hospitality, retail, agriculture and fishing, wellbeing, cosmetic, and beauty services, transport, post and delivery services.

Once businesses have signed up online, the government plans to post sufficient lateral flow testing devices to them, alongside instructions explaining how to use them, asking them to test all employees every week, and submit the results. If an employee tests positive, they will then be required to isolate pending the results of a full PCR test.

An app is also currently being developed and trialled.

To encourage businesses to sign up, the Government have said they are working on a system that would allocate a ‘certified’ status, to reassure customers that a particular business is taking part in the new testing regime. 

Pictured: The lateral flow devices will be sent to businesses who sign up, with an app established to help employers organise and record testing.

Deputy Medical Officer of Health, Dr Ivan Muscat, also confirmed that the devices identified current “known” variants of covid.

The increased testing regime also includes a new system for more frequent testing in the hospital, care homes, domiciliary care, emergency services, GP and Dental Practices, and the prison. 

This will involve 'peer-to-peer' swabbing between trained employees, delivered primarily using DiaSorin antigen testing, which the Government says has a “similar” accuracy to PCR. 

For new admissions into those institutions, and care home visitors however, PCR tests will be maintained.

Testing for symptomatic, and contact-traced individuals will continue to be applied with PCR tests, and the inbound travel system will continue as currently.