Business membership body the CBI has called on the Welsh Government to continue to fund free lateral flow tests (LFTs) in Wales, in a move it said would provide confidence to firms to drive the economic recovery.
Ahead of the Welsh Government's latest review of pandemic restrictions, currently at level zero, CBI Wales director Ian Price, said:“The removal of remaining restrictions will give businesses across Wales the certainty they need to grow and invest.
“Yet firms also know that the virus hasn’t disappeared. Businesses will continue to use measures to keep their staff and customers safe, as they have from the outset of the pandemic.
“While free testing cannot continue forever, mass lateral flow testing has helped keep large parts or our economy open, and firms continue to believe that the economic and social benefits far outweigh the costs.
“We recommend that the Welsh Government seek to retain free, universal LFTs, with a phased withdrawal throughout the year, to support hybrid working and maintain business and consumer confidence.”
The provision of free LFTs in England, apart from for the most vulnerable, will end in England on April 1.