The first shipment of COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Screening Tests for businesses in the Ottawa Valley have arrived.
The three local Chambers of Commerce are ready to start taking orders for the test kits.
Any small-medium-sized business (under 150 employees) can go to any one of the Chambers’ websites to place an order for free rapid antigen tests for employees.
- Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce: www.uovchamber.com,
- Greater Arnprior Chamber of Commerce: www.gacc.ca,
- Renfrew & Area Chamber of Commerce: www.renfrewareachamber.ca)
The goal of the program is to identify asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 in the workplace that might otherwise be missed, helping to curb the spread in the workplace, at home and around communities in Renfrew County.
Lorraine MacKenzie the Executive Director of the Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce says they are proud to distribute rapid tests to small businesses in Renfrew County and hopes through this program to curb the spread and reopen our local economy safely.
If you’re interested, log onto one of Renfrew County Chambers’ websites or visit:
https://sites.google.com/view/rapidtestsrenfrewcounty/home to order a two-week supply of rapid tests.
Once businesses have submitted the required signed agreement, they will be contacted by their preferred Chamber location to arrange for a scheduled time to pick up their kits.
There are 3 locations within Renfrew County, Arnprior, Renfrew and Pembroke.
A designate from each business will be responsible for supervising the self-screening collection onsite, will be required to attend the site for the initial pick-up where they will receive video training to properly supervise the screening process and safely dispose of the used kits.
Screening results would be sent to the Chamber weekly.
If a test results in a preliminary positive for COVID-19, the employee will be required to leave the workplace, arrange for a PCR Test within 24 hours at an approved COVID-19 assessment site, and self-isolate until a confirmatory test result is received.
