LONDON (dpa-AFX) – Companies in Great Britain can now apply for free corona rapid tests for their employees. Even companies with fewer than 50 employees could register for the offer by the end of March, the Ministry of Health announced in London on Saturday. The tests showed a result after half an hour at the latest. They would help isolate those who tested positive immediately and break chains of infection.
The offer is initially free until the end of June. In Germany, business and politics are currently wrestling about how corona rapid tests can be offered to all employees in the companies.
“Regular workplace tests are central to our return to normal life,” said Health Secretary Matt Hancock. The tests could make the difference in whether jobs can remain open, the ministry said.
The government’s step-by-step plan currently stipulates that all corona measures will end on June 21 at the earliest. Most recently, the number of new infections fell significantly thanks to the vaccination program. A lockdown with extensive exit and contact restrictions has been in force again since the beginning of January. The measures were a success, said the head of the statistics office ONS, Ian Diamond, the BBC. However, the country is still a long way from being out of the woods.
Schools in England, the largest part of Britain, are due to reopen this Monday. Families with school children are offered two quick tests per household member a week./bvi/DP/nas
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