A new partnership between the province and the Alberta Chambers of Commerce will allow small and medium-sized businesses access to rapid COVID-19 antigen testing kits, which can help identify pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic cases of the virus.
Board Chair of the Grande Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce Larry Gibson says giving access to businesses, as well as not-for-profits, can make a big difference with case numbers continuing to climb across the region and province.
“It’s definitely going to be a big advantage… right now, if a staff member is a close contact, or tests positive, it pretty much disables a good chunk of your business as you have to isolate the rest of your staff,” he says.
“This will be a big advantage in helping out that situation for sure,” he adds.
The provincial government says after municipal chambers of commerce sign off on an agreement, they will be provided a number of tests, and screening plans from Alberta Health. The province adds any participating businesses or organizations administering the tests are responsible for adequate training to perform the tests safely, which can be found online.