The Department of Health & Social Care have published guidance for employers and third-party healthcare providers on Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing. The guidance points out that it is a voluntary decision for employers to run testing programmes for their staff and if done correctly, testing can provide confidence to employees and customers in the workplace and may help to protect business continuity. Where employers are considering – or are already running testing programmes – the guidance sets out the legal obligations and best practice to follow, including how to interpret test results and what the next steps should be after a positive or negative test. Before deciding to establish a testing programme, employers are advised that they should be clear on a number of issues including who the testing will cover, how often staff will be tested, what the arrangements will be for any individual who does not wish to be tested and how the employer will use test results.
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