‘Mandatory testing will provide workers, their families and their communities an additional layer of protection’
Testing will be mandatory for rotational workers who work outside Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, according to the Nova Scotia government.
The new rule will take effect Jan. 15, 2021.
“We are concerned about the high number of cases in other provinces where many Nova Scotians are rotational workers,” said Premier Stephen McNeil. “Mandatory testing will provide workers, their families and their communities an additional layer of protection.”
Workers must complete their full 14 days of modified self-isolation, even if they have a negative test result. They must get tested on day one or two and again on day six, seven or eight.
Audits will be done to check testing data for randomly chosen rotational workers. If they did not do their first test, they will get a phone call reminding them that it is mandatory. If the selected workers do not get their second test, they will be fined $1,000.
Recently, New Brunswick revised its protocols for self-isolation and work-isolation within the province.
“There have been cases among rotational workers and there is considerable risk of them importing the virus unknowingly, given how frequently they travel,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health. “That’s why testing is so important, along with their modified form of self-isolation.”
People can book a test at https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/en. More information about testing is available at https://www.nshealth.ca/coronavirustesting.
In August 2020, COS spoke with Victoria DeBoon, director of sales at SAP Concur Canada about how business travel has changed with COVID-19, and what are current best practices that employers should be looking into to address employee concerns.
