Food firm tells staff to take tests over isolation after ‘pings’

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. We operate in Covid-safe workplaces and we’re absolutely key workers in terms of the supply chain to hospitals, care homes, prisons, and therefore it’s important for us to be able to keep offering that service to our customers Andrew Selley, Bidfood “We know that they’re critical workers as part of the food supply chain, so if people are obviously positive or contacted by Test and Trace then they will have to isolate,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “If they are pinged we ask them to take a PCR test if that’s positive then clearly they’ll isolate, but if it’s negative we ask them to come back to work and we have a process of doing lateral flow tests daily away from their workplace, and if that’s negative they can proceed with their work.” Ministers have confused the rules this week, but, as they stand, isolating for 10 days after an alert from the app is the official advice from the Government, but it is not a legal obligation like if contacted by Test and Trace. “We operate in Covid-safe workplaces and we’re absolutely key workers in terms of the supply chain to hospitals, care homes, prisons, and therefore it’s important for us to be able to keep offering that service to our customers.” Mr Selley said 100 staff from around 20 depots across the country were off isolating on Wednesday, presenting a “real challenge” with deliveries arriving late, or even the next day. Asked about the current exemption, Mr Selley said: “We’ve heard talk of the Government system to apply but there’s no detail as to how to apply, so it’s touted as something that’s out there, but we’ve heard nothing in terms of how one could apply for that status.” This week business minister Paul Scully said it is a decision for individuals and employers whether they should isolate after a “ping” from the app.