The Quinte West Chamber of Commerce is among 28 chambers to receive free rapid screening tests from the province to help small and medium-sized businesses screen employees for COVID-19.
Minister of Small Business Prabmeet Sarkaria tells Quinte News the COVID-19 Rapid Screening Initiatve will screen for asymptomatic cases in the workplace that might otherwise be missed.
“We’ve rolled out over 7,000,000 tests to about 1,500 in the manufacturing sector and it’s also proven to be very successful there in catching cases that might have come through and potentially impacted large workplaces. So that’s why we think, you know, focussing on the smaller businesses, working with our chambers across the province to ensure that they get these tests, is gonna be very necessary.”
If a test results in a preliminary positive for COVID-19, the employee will be required to leave the workplace, arrange for a PCR test within 24 hours at an approved COVID-19 assessment site, and self-isolate until a confirmatory negative test result is received.
Sarkaria says the new initative is open to businesses with 150 employees or less and that more than 760,000 rapid test kits have already shipped to the 28 chambers.
“You know we think chambers play such an integral role in our business community so we really wanted that to be a place where not only many businesses already have a connection with but a lot of trust built in with as the point of distribution for these rapid tests. So that’s why we’re working with our chambers and making sure as many businesses can participate as possible.”
The program was expanded following a successful pilot project in the Waterloo region.
Suzanne Andrews, CEO at the Quinte West Chamber of Commerce says, “We hope that through this program, we will be able to curb the spread and reopen our local economy safely.”
Prince Edward County and Belleville are among 50 other chambers that are also joining the program or have expressed interest.
Quinte West small businesses interested in the program can log into www.quintewestchamber.ca/rapidtests to order their two-week supply of rapid tests.
Businesses do not have to be a member of the chamber to get the tests.
