Companies encouraging or telling staff not to do LFT’s?

[GreyStep]

Given that in the U.K. the respective governments are asking everyone to do a free LFT, especially if they work out of home etc. Taylor Wimpey stated that they don’t ask their tradespeople to do them, they don’t do them at all and they would be contacted by track and trace if there was a problem. I asked if the tradesperson due at my house all day next week could do one, and was told no they don’t allow it.

Speaking to others, even my sister a teacher has said she’s stopped doing them, angry at them visiting a vulnerable family member and bragging that all the teachers have stopped doing them at her school.

Are other companies putting pressure on people as well to not do them? It’s personal choice, but surely a company going into peoples homes daily should do them? It’s just a case that they don’t want staff off whilst they have a PCR test, and by the time track and trace get in touch they’ve been going into peoples houses for 5 days.

Given the prime minister has just asked everyone to keep doing them whatever their situation, surely companies telling staff not to are wrong? And teachers?

I thought they were optional? My employer has said they are available fbut up to you if you do them

They really aren’t anything as helpful as they were sold as. Positive probably is positive but negative if asymptomatic . Something like identifying 72% of cases with symptoms ( so missing 30% like PCR) nut more like picking up 50-60% only without symptoms ie not that different to flipping a coin or frankly guessing.

@Helenluvsrob

They really aren’t anything as helpful as they were sold as. Positive probably is positive but negative if asymptomatic . Something like identifying 72% of cases with symptoms ( so missing 30% like PCR) nut more like picking up 50-60% only without symptoms ie not that different to flipping a coin or frankly guessing.

Surely it's better they identify some of the asymptomatic cases than none at all?

We have been doing them twice a week for a couple of months. We have a testing site at work as well.

Something like identifying 72% of cases with symptoms ( so missing 30% like PCR) nut more like picking up 50-60% only without symptoms ie not that different to flipping a coin or frankly guessing.

Picking up 50% of cases that are either asymptomatic or presymptomatic is pretty decent, when the alternative is those individuals continuing to spread until they are no longer infectious/until they develop symptoms. They’re not perfect, but they help. It’d only be like flipping a coin if 50% of the population had COVID at that point.

If people don't test, we will be in this situation for the foreseeable future.

Haven’t had covid in a year (as far as I know). 100 lateral flow tests in that time? No thanks.

They should invent a better method that is as accurate and sensitive as PCR, but as fast as LFT, and doesn’t generate obscene amounts of plastic waste. Sure, that is a difficult task, but pretty sure Dom has recruited a bunch of wierdos and out of the box types who could put their heads together.

Instead they (the govt) buy these crappy LFTs, and other companies just develop slightly less crappy ones in the hope the govt will chuck a few billion at them.

Surely picking up a symptomatic cases is the whole point? If you’re symptomatic you go straight to PCR. The point is to stop asymptomatic spread as they would hope symptomatic people would self isolate. Although the amount of friends saying “it can’t be covid I’ve not been contacted” so won’t test isn’t helping.

As a company we don’t do them. Some of our workforce work in prisons, hospitals and university accommodation and depending on their policies, they might ask our worker to do one before allowing entry. We wouldn’t actively stop anyone from doing them. If a domestic customer asked for it it would be up to the worker whether or not they complied (& the customer would have to pay for the 30 mins time it takes).

They told me if I asked for the person coming to do a LFT then I would have to wait until after the pandemic to get issue fixed.
Surely it’s the fact that as an individual you just order online and get them the next day, company doesn’t have to be involved. Apart from the pressure to not do them to not have days off not needed.

I'm a contact advisor for covid and we've had lots of LFT's coming back positive but then a negative PCR.
I'm not sure how reliable they are really.
If they took one and it was positive, they would have to do a PCR within 24 hours (in wales anyway) and isolate until the result came back.
So if you wanted them to do it they would have to do it a few days before.
Could you leave the house for the day while they are there? Make sure all the windows are open for ventilation too

I work in manufacturing. They are available to us at work and we are encouraged to do them but it's not mandatory.

My dh goes into up to 10 different homes a day. He has worked through lockdown doing this, just not the first. LFT are optional, very few of the team do them. If someone insisted on someone having one before visiting, the reality is they’d be told the same as you have been. There are many people happy to have trades in, the country is starting to open up. Well, now with the new variant perhaps not as much as everyone hoped.
I am in retail, I’ve told the team the choice is theirs. I’m certainly not putting pressure on people one way or the other.

Also, when he visits people’s homes, they are required to open all windows to give ventilation, leave the room etc, sanitise etc. Very few do this as “it’s too cold” and he regularly visits homes where in lockdown people were having half a dozen kids and several mums having a coffee. The minority follow the guidelines. In retail, I’m having to remind people about masks etc more and lots of people say they are exempt. What I’m trying to say, there are some following the rules and many not. If you are not leaving your hone, and want to insist on a lft from a tradesperson, you will have a fairly long wait. If you are leaving your home, going shopping, mixing, then allow the visit, social distance, ventilate and clean afterwards.