Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Brampton, in coordination with the Brampton Emergency Management Office, has partnered with RIC Centre and Communitech to provide small to medium-sized businesses in free COVID-19 rapid screening kits.
Dubbed StaySafe, the program will help to slow the spread of COVID-19 and ensure a swift local economic recovery.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted our local businesses and the greater Brampton community. By continuing to work together and utilizing all the tools available to us – physical distancing, wearing masks, practising good hygiene and following all public health measures, in addition to rapid screening – we all get one step closer to seeing the people we’ve missed, participating in the activities we love and safely enjoying our amazing Brampton businesses,” said Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown.
Rapid antigen screening is a quick way to help identify asymptomatic COVID-19 cases before they lead to workplace outbreaks. Identifying asymptomatic and presymptomatic individuals early is an effective way of limiting spread within both workplaces and the community. StaySafe provides access to rapid screening kits so that businesses can administer a workplace screening program.
Funded by the federal and provincial governments, the StaySafe program is free for all businesses with fewer than 150 employees who can’t work from home or physically distance while at work.
The rapid antigen point-of-care screening tests allow employees to test themselves before work and see the results of that test within minutes. If an employee tests positive, an employer can then send them to the nearest COVID testing centre for more conclusive testing without running the risk of exposing other employees to the virus.
“The RIC Centre is proud to be a partner on this project which aims to help protect more of our community. It’s programs like StaySafe that are helping bridge the gap between returning to a sense of normalcy and staying safe while doing so. As an innovation catalyst for change, RIC Centre looks forward to watching this program unfold and encourages all eligible organizations to sign up,” said Pam Banks, executive director, RIC Centre
The opportunity is open to Brampton organizations with 150 or fewer employees. Training and registration are required for participation in this program before picking up a first order.
Businesses with over 150 employees can order directly from the Ontario government portal.
Under Step One of the Province’s Roadmap to Reopen, non-essential retail is permitted at 15 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold, and essential and other select retail is permitted at 25 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold. As businesses prepare to reopen, rapid antigen testing will not only help protect workers, but will also help Brampton residents feel confident entering local businesses.
“We encourage all eligible Brampton companies to pick up their rapid screening kits through the StaySafe program. By putting safety first, we can all confidently and safely support our great local businesses,” said regional councillor Paul Vicente.