No plans yet for workplace coronavirus testing in Peterborough

There are no plans currently to start testing employees in Peterborough, despite the city being in the top 20 nationally for Covid-19 new case rates, but the matter is under review.
That was the message given to members of the city council at their online Full Council meeting last night (Wednesday, July 29) when Cllr Samantha Hemraj said: “Peterborough is in the top 20 highest for COVID-19. Are there any plans to start testing employees from large employers in the workplace to try and keep the R rate down to prevent against any local lockdown?”

Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Health & Public Health, said: “The public health team for Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council work closely with Peterborough’s environmental health team and Public Health England to monitor any outbreaks of COVID-19 in local workplaces.

“If several cases occur among the workforce of any one employer, it may be appropriate to test staff who do not have symptoms as well as those who do. This is called ‘Asymptomatic Testing’.

“The process needs to be agreed between the employer, the local public health team and Public Health England to ensure that the right resources are put in place to deliver and analyse the results.

“So far this type of testing has been delivered for two factories in Huntingdonshire, and while these were not in the Peterborough workplace several of the staff, including those tested, were Peterborough residents.

“We will continue to review the data on positive cases amongst Peterborough residents and on workplace outbreaks.

“We will work with our regional colleagues to provide Asymptomatic Testing when it is appropriate to do so.”

Cllr Hemraj added: “Do we know how many people from a given workplace need to show symptoms before this form of testing will take place? If five people, for example, were found to have symptoms would this be enough for you to consider testing the whole workforce, or is the number higher or lower than that?”

Cllr Fitzgerald said: “Asymptomatic Testing is brought in when ‘several people’ show symptoms and then, yes, it may be appropriate at that time to test the other members of the workforce.”