Employers - COVID case in the workplace

If you have a positive COVID-19 case in your workplace, there are a number of things you must do. Time is of the essence to prevent further spread amongst your employees.

• See NHS Test and Trace in the workplace guidance for employers (external link).

What you need to do

Contact tracing - identify the close contacts of the positive case

You should speak to the employee that has tested positive as soon as possible about their workplace contacts.

Others actions you must consider

• Implementing enhanced cleaning of potentially affected areas - see COVID-19 cleaning guidance (external link)
• Reporting positive cases in the workplace who have contracted COVID from occupational exposure via the RIDDOR reporting service. This is a legal requirement
• Reviewing your COVID risk assessment using government issued COVID guidance for your sector (external link)
• You should also undertake regular monitoring checks to ensure staff and other individuals. Eg. contractors/customers are following safety procedures at work. Promptly address any non-compliances.

Staff COVID Testing

To help your business stay open, we strongly advise that you encourage your employees to take rapid lateral flow coronavirus tests twice a week. These tests will pick up any positive cases and any employee that tests positive can self-isolate straightaway, and not pass the virus on to the rest of your workforce or your customers, risking closure.

Around 1 in 3 people have coronavirus without displaying any symptoms, so the expansion of asymptomatic testing will help to identify any positive cases of COVID-19 and will help to manage the spread of the virus. Testing is still important you have had you COVID 19 vaccine(s) to help reduce onward transmission.

You can encourage your employees to visit a rapid test centre twice a week. 

• Find a centre
• Request a COVID-19 test if you do not have symptoms
• Get coronavirus tests for your staff (external link)

If your employees are required to self-isolate, you must not allow them to continue to work in any setting other than their place of isolation.

Request a home test kit for businesses

There are 2 options available:

• If you are not registered with the national programme of workplace testing you can collect a supply of home test kits for staff from our current test sites as follows:
  • Leigh Town Hall, Market Street, Leigh, WN7 1DY. Open Monday - Friday 9am-4pm
  • Progress House, Westwood Park, Wigan, WN3 4HH. Open Monday - Friday 9am-4pm.
• If collection from a test site is not possible, we can offer a delivery service direct to your business. You will need to email C19Testing@wigan.gov.uk with the following details to request your kits:
  • Contact name
  • Email
  • Phone number
  • Number of staff to be tested
  • Business address including postcode (where the kits will be delivered)

Full instructions are provided with the kits. Staff are required to input their individual details and results onto the national web portal provided within the kit each time they complete a test. If you have any further queries, please email C19Testing@wigan.gov.uk

Further advice

• Contact the regulatory services team online for further advice.