Frontline waste workers in England and their families will now be able to access Covid-19 testing if they display symptoms as the government seeks greater certainty over who has the virus.

The government announced yesterday (23 April) that essential workers that are self-isolating can now apply to be tested for Covid-19 online or be referred for a test by their employer.

Workers will be able to apply to be tested at one of 30 regional drive-through test sites or receive a home test kit in the post. The government has urged workers to choose the drive-through option, at least initially, due to the current limited availability of home test kits.

The news comes as the government seeks to step up the number of tests carried out per day to 100,000 by the end of April as part of its strategy for easing lockdown restrictions.

The government’s website says: ‘One of the most challenging things about coronavirus is the uncertainty: not knowing who has the infection or when it’s safe to return to normal life. Good-quality testing can help provide us with greater certainty. It’s a big part of how we’re going to defeat this disease.’

As the government steps up its testing regime, tests will also be available from mobile testing units, NHS satellite centres and NHS facilities, though the latter is currently prioritised for NHS workers and patients.

Covid-19 testing involves taking a swab of the nose and back of the throat, which can be done by the person alone, or by someone else.

The government says that it aims to return test results within 48 hours of a swab being taken at a testing site or within 72 hours for a home test.

Waste services have experienced severe disruption since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, with staff absence due to sickness and self-isolation cited as the main reasons for disruption among waste collection services.

In the latest local authority impacts survey carried out by the Association of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT), 70 per cent of councils have experienced staff absences of up to 20 per cent of the workforce, while 27 per cent have experienced absence rates greater than 20 per cent.

Alongside the implementation of widespread testing, current guidance from Public Health England (PHE), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum (WISH) advises diligent hygiene and cleaning regimes, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), social distancing in workplaces where possible and self-isolation of workers experiencing symptoms of Covid-19.

Commenting on the testing announcement, Executive Director of the Environmental Services Association (ESA) Jacob Hayler said: “The recycling and waste sector has continued to provide an essential service to society throughout this crisis and, for the most part, core recycling and waste collections across the country have met with only limited disruption, despite significant challenges.

“Service performance data suggests that we may be through an initial peak of staff absence, but in the long term, an effective testing regime is important to ensure that those who can return to work are able to do so, and those that are ill are able to self-isolate in certainty, or seek appropriate care if necessary.

“Making sure staff who are ill with Covid-19 stay away from work is a cornerstone of the WISH guidance, designed to keep frontline operatives safe during this crisis, so an effective testing regime supports this and will help employees and employers make the right decisions, while limiting the transmission of infection. We would urge all operators to make sure their staff are aware of, and have access to, the new testing regime.”

You can read more about the government’s testing regime on the government website.