President and CEO of the Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce, Kevin Ward, discusses the rapid screening program to assist small and medium-sized businesses to test employees for COVID-19.
The full interview:
The Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce provides rapid COVID 19 screening kits to all businesses in the county. Through a collaboration with Campbellford, Brighton, and Colborne, people can apply to get these kits to test employees, an important step in preventing the spread of the virus at workplaces.
The spread of COVID-19 in the workplace is one of the largest untold stories of the pandemic. Entire factories have closed. Small businesses can be crippled. If one person gets the virus, it can quickly spread, creating hardship due to staff shortages or even shutdowns.
The technology to rapid test employees has existed for months. But the uptake by the business community is slow. There are many products of varying quality and accuracy. It is complicated and tough to decide. This meant there were lots of kits but not a lot of users.
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce stepped up by offering to work with the provincial government to distribute quality rapid screen kits to businesses across the province, plus the necessary training. It could be another weapon in the arsenal as the province tries to control the spread of the virus. It also is a way to bolster the economic recovery. As Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kevin Ward said in this interview, the initiative could be a game-changer. You will hear about the launch of the program on May 31. Plus, he will give the details of how significant this program is for Northumberland and the province.
Originally aired: June 4, 2021
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