Screening people in the workplace with Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) will help identify individuals with COVID-19 to help protect others from exposure and provide much needed data about viral prevalence within job sites and communities across Canada.

The goal of this program is to identify individuals who are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic to prevent them from spreading the COVID-19 virus in the workplace, at home and in the community. This program is being provided at no cost to businesses through a partnership with the Government of Canada, The Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC).

The Quinte West Chamber of Commerce located at 97 Front Street, Trenton, Ontario will act as a distribution center for Rapid Antigen Testing kits to be used for self-screening in the workplace under the guidance of proper Health and Safety Guidelines provided.

Workplace Screening

Screen testing with RATs involves routine testing one or more times per week. The purpose of this process is for employees of small and medium sized businesses who:

1. Asymptomatic (do not have any symptoms of COVID-19).
2. Have not had any contact with a known positive case of COVID-19.

Individuals in non-highest risk settings participating in routine asymptomatic RAT testing who have a positive result do not require a PCR/rapid molecular confirmatory test.

Individuals with symptoms of COVID-19 should assume they have the virus and isolate for a minimum of 5 days (10 days if immunocompromised or not fully vaccinated).

If an employee develops symptoms, they MUST leave the workplace immediately, self-isolate and follow the direction of local public health https://hpepublichealth.ca/understanding-self-isolation/

Visit www.ontario.ca/exposed if you have symptoms of COVID-19, have tested positive, or think you have been exposed to the virus.

The steps to participate in this program are as follows.

1. Enter into an agreement with the Quinte West Chamber of Commerce. You will need to Download, sign and email the agreement before you can place your first order for tests. Click here to download the form.
2. Assign a supervisor for your organization that will order and pick up the test kits from the chamber and supervise employees self-administering the tests.
3. It is recommended that you test your employees twice per week for effective screening. Tests come in boxes of 5 or 25 so you will usually receive your order in multiples of 5 or 25, enough for 2 -3 weeks of testing. The supervisor can order the test kits online for a pick up from the Chamber Building.
4. Anyone in your workplace that will be supervising the tests will also need to watch the video. Click here to view the Training Video
5. Please ensure that all parts of the test kits and all packaging is disposed of correctly. Used test tubes and test pads are considered bio waste and businesses are encouraged to bring them back to the Chamber office where they will be disposed of properly. None of it is able to go in the recycle bin.

RESOURCES TO GUIDE YOU

• Considerations for Antigen Point of Care Testing – Click Here
• Training Video on Testing Process – Click Here