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A factory in a West Midlands hot spot has closed after a third of the workforce tested positive for COVID-19. The above company was not closed down but offered to close their doors temporarily, after meetings with public health partners, who urged businesses to contact them straight away if two or more workers tested positive for COVID-19. But what would you do in these circumstances, and how can you avoid an outbreak in the first place? Obviously, prevention is key, so it is crucial that employers follow the five steps for working safely, along with sector-specific guidance and risk assessments to prevent an outbreak because, even if a business doesn’t have to close completely, what would you do if two or more members of one team or department tested positive? Could your business still function? It is vital that employers play their part by: • Making their workplaces as safe as possible (where working from home is not possible) • Requesting that workers self-isolate if they have been asked to do so • Supporting their workers when in isolation Although this may seem disruptive for businesses, it is less disruptive than an outbreak of COVID-19 in the workplace, and far less disruptive than further social and economic restrictions. The NHS Test and Trace service will support businesses and economic recovery by: • Providing free testing for anyone who has symptoms of coronavirus • Asking those that test positive and their close contacts to self-isolate to stop the spread of the virus in the workplace IF A WORKER DEVELOPS SYMPTOMS If a worker develops symptoms, they should request a free test as soon as their symptoms start. Once they have ordered the test, they’ll be asked by the NHS Test and Trace service to provide details of anyone who they have been in close recent contact with. This will not automatically be all their co-workers, but anyone who meets the definition of a close contact. Where an interaction between two people has taken place through a perspex (or equivalent) screen, this would not be considered sufficient contact, provided that there has been no other contact. The contact tracers will not consider the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) as a mitigation when assessing whether a recent contact is likely to have risked transmitting the virus. Only full medical-grade PPE worn in health and care settings will be considered. Medical-grade PPE should not be purchased to circumvent self- isolation, as this risks disrupting critical supplies needed by the NHS and social care sector. WHAT TO DO IF THE TEST IS POSITIVE If the person with symptoms tests positive for COVID-19, the NHS Test and Trace service will notify their close contacts and instruct them to self-isolate. This will occur by either a phone call, text message, email or letter. The period of self-isolation will be for up to 14 days, from the point of most recent contact with the person who has tested positive for coronavirus. When Test and Trace advises contacts to self-isolate, the service does not tell them the identity of the person who has tested positive. WHEN A CASE SHOULD BE ESCALATEDTO LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS Contact tracing will be taken over by local public health experts where the person who has a positive test result works in or has recently visited: • A health or care setting, for example a hospital, GP surgery or care home • A prison or other secure establishment • A school for children with special needs • Any setting where there’s a risk of a local outbreak Make sure your workers self-isolate. You should help your employees self-isolate if they: • Have coronavirus symptoms and are waiting for a test result • Have tested positive for coronavirus WHAT TO DO IF A WORKER TESTS POSITIVE 42 Issue 3 2020