The 海角视频鈥檚 largest luxury boat maker Princess Yachts has begun a Government-backed on-the-spot Covid testing programme for its staff.
The company, which employs about 3,000 workers in Plymouth, has launched its rapid testing programme in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care. The project is part of the Government鈥檚 continuing 海角视频-wide drive to increase the availability of testing.
Princess Yachts received its first batch of lateral flow tests, provided by NHS Test and Trace, in the second full week of February 2020, as part of a programme to enable testing in private industries.
It has now begun testing staff, under medical supervision, at its site in Coypool, with the aim of extending it to its other Plymouth sites.
Lateral flow tests are easy-to-use swab tests that provide a coronavirus test result within 30 minutes, without needing lab analysis.
The Government sees them as a fast and simple way to test people who do not have symptoms of Covid-19 but who may be carrying the virus and in danger of spreading it.
Matthew Clark, director of health, safety and environment at Princess Yachts, said: 鈥淎t Princess Yachts, there have been very clear safety protocols in place since Spring 2020, that require all staff to adhere to PPE wearing, social distancing, following one-way systems, hand washing and sanitising.
鈥淧rincess have invested an enormous amount of time, effort and money into putting these protocols in place so that employees are kept safe in work environment that鈥檚 as Covid-19 secure as possible. 鈥淯tilising new technologies, such as rapid lateral flow tests at Princess, will add to maintaining a safe environment for our employees, whilst at the same time, be key in aiding the Government鈥檚 overall plans to rollout rapid testing nationwide.
鈥淭his testing programme will allow testing large numbers of people in a short period of time, with test results made available quickly, even on the spot.鈥
About one in three people who are infected with Covid-19 have no symptoms so could be spreading the disease without knowing it.
Broadening testing to identify those showing no symptoms will mean finding positive cases more quickly, and break any potential chain of transmission.
From the start of the pandemic, the Government has been working around the clock with a range of partners to fight Covid-19.
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The use of multiple testing technologies could significantly improve the detection of positive cases, so people can isolate themselves and prevent the spread of the disease.
Health Minister Lord Bethell said: 鈥淲e鈥檝e already come so far since first setting up a national testing programme at an unprecedented pace to help counter Covid -19, but we continue to strive to go further, faster.
鈥淩apid testing technologies hold the key to the next phase of our ambition to see testing available to people across the country.
鈥淚鈥檓 delighted that Princess Yachts are working with us to use the latest technology in Plymouth, and I look forward to seeing the fruits of their labour, both in helping target the virus locally, and helping find ways to roll this technology out further soon .鈥
Baroness Dido Harding, interim executive chair of the National Institute for Health Protection, said: 鈥淭he innovation and evolution of NHS Test and Trace continues to improve our detection of positive cases and I am incredibly proud of the speed at which we have been able to roll out these initiatives to protect more people more quickly.
鈥淭his is a national effort and a partnership of public and private sectors is instrumental in our response to this virus. Around one in three people with Covid-19 don鈥檛 display symptoms, meaning you can infect others unknowingly.
鈥淭his rapid testing programme with Princess Yachts is one of many that will inform our understanding of how rapid asymptomatic testing can be operationalised in the real world to protect those at high risk, find the virus and help us go back to as normal a way of life as possible.鈥
