Hamilton Chamber of Commerce to distribute free rapid COVID-19 tests to businesses

Small- to medium-sized businesses will soon have access to free COVID-19 tests through the Hamilton Rapid Testing program, led locally by the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.

On Friday, the provincial government announced it would be launching a COVID-19 Rapid Screening Initiative. The program will be rolled out through the Ontario Chamber of Commerce to 28 local chambers so far, in partnership with the federal government.

The program will target test kit distribution to businesses with fewer than 150 employees, and all Hamilton businesses can participate, the chamber of commerce said in a news release.

We hope that through this program, we will be able to curb the spread and reopen our local economy safely," Keanin Loomis, president and CEO of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, said in the release.

More details will be announced in the coming weeks. Eligible businesses will be able to order kits through a web portal and send a representative to a location - soon to be announced by the chamber - to pick up kits and later input screening results electronically.

More than 760,000 kits have been shipped out to the 28 chambers participating so far. The program was piloted in Waterloo Region, where about 1,400 businesses delivered regular testing to up to 30,000 employees.

The province recommends employees be tested twice a week, and those who test positive will be required to take a PCR test within 24 hours at a COVID-19 assessment centre to confirm the rapid test's results.

Details will be available on the Hamilton chamber's website at hamiltonchamber.ca.

Vjosa Isai is a reporter at The Spectator covering Hamilton-based business. Reach her via email: visai@thespec.com.