31st December 2021
Free Lateral Flow Tests available to all businesses
Businesses across Northern Ireland can receive free Rapid Lateral Flow Tests to help keep staff safe in the workplace. Providing free and easy access to Lateral Flow Tests helps to protect staff and their families from COVID-19.
One in three people with COVID-19 shows no symptoms of illness. By taking regular Lateral Flow Tests, staff can find out if they are likely to be carrying the virus before they enter the workplace. Even staff who have been fully vaccinated are strongly recommended to test regularly as they can still catch COVID and spread it to others.
Your business can quickly set up a workforce testing scheme, just submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) and the Department of Health will contact you. Staff can collect the test kits from the workplace to take at home.
The benefits of regular testing, include:
- Ensuring business continuity and helping to prevent costly staff absences
- Promoting consumer and customer confidence in your business
- Helping to build and sustain the economic recovery
Lateral Flow Tests are quick, easy and convenient
Lateral Flow Tests provide a result within 30 minutes. It’s recommended that staff should test twice a week. Workers who take a test first thing in the morning will know their result before leaving the house. It’s important to report every result online: positive, negative or void. This helps to provide the latest information on the spread of the virus so support can be provided where it’s needed most.
Testing for small businesses
Employees of small businesses with less than ten staff can establish shared workforce schemes with other organisations by submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI), or encourage staff to use the free home delivery service or more than 580 collection sites across Northern Ireland, including more than 500 community pharmacies.
Lateral Flow Tests are for people without symptoms
Lateral Flow Tests should only be used by those with no symptoms of COVID-19. Anyone with a positive Lateral Flow Test result should self-isolate and book a confirmatory PCR test immediately. PCR tests are available at testing sites across Northern Ireland and can be booked at GOV.UK.
For all the latest up to date information please refer to NI Direct & the Public Health Agency Website
