26 mars 2021
22:30
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Announced ten days ago, rapid business tests still raise a number of questions and are struggling to become reality.
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Supposed enter into force from March 22, the rapid in-house tests raise their share of questions and find it difficult to impose themselves, would we be tempted to conclude after a sounding of various companies. A feeling shared by Pierre-Frédéric Nyst, the president ofUnion of Middle Classes (UCM). At the end of the Consultative Committee held on Wednesday morning, some information leaked out. If it seems certain that the cost tests will be paid for by the Federal government, it should be nasal tests which would be carried out twice a week on a voluntary basis by the occupational medicine, explained to us the president of the UCM. Today, on the basis of an existing stock of 600,000 tests, the operation could take place over a month, at the rate of 150,000 tests per week, but Pierre-Frédéris Nyst wonders if the Occupational Medicine will be able to cope with the work overload that such an operation would represent.
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“If we have to do two tests per week, that’s 13,000 tests per week and we only have 5 nurses and 2 doctors for the whole plant.”
Barbara Blomme
Volvo Ghent spokesperson
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Remember at this point that these tests are not an alternative to telecommuting, they will only be carried out when teleworking is technically impossible. But while nothing seems to be in place yet, the issue of privacy protection also seems to arise for certain employers, as the president of the UCM explained to us. Quite a few theoretical obstacles, as we can see, a situation which seems to have repercussions on the ground.
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Bpost and Proximus as guinea pigs
Public enterprises like post or Proximus are supposed to lead by example. At the request of the Minister in charge of Public Enterprises, Petra De Sutter, bpost acts as a “test case”. The test phase, which should last one month, concerns the sorting centers in Brussels, Charleroi and Ghent. At bpost, the tests are carried out by Cohezio, the external prevention service of the public company. In Proximus, a pilot project concerns 80 workers in the Mons region for whom teleworking is impossible (40 in-store employees and 40 technicians).
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“If anyone has symptoms, they are tested. When it is positive, the worker is sent home for quarantine.”
Peter D’Hoore
Spokesperson for the Audi factory in Forest
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At RTBF on the other hand, the Internal Prevention and Protection Service (SIPP) is not very favorable to rapid tests. “A negative test can give a false sense of security which can be damaging to the prevention policy that is put in place … and which works well at RTBF”, we can read in an opinion of the SIPP dated March 23. On the side of Volvo Gand, we explain that we are studying the feasibility of the operation. “If we have to do two tests per week, this represents 13,000 tests per week and we only have 5 nurses and 2 doctors for the whole plant “, explained Barbara Blomme, spokesperson for Volvo Ghent. The latter, who specifies that Volvo has already changed the way it works more than ten times since. the start of the crisis, adds that the brand carries out tests when contamination is observed.
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Same story with Audi Brussels. “If someone has symptoms, they are tested. When it is positive, the worker is sent home for quarantine. Everyone on their team is then tested on the first day, third day and seventh day. They stay at work as long as they are negative, “explains Peter D’Hoore, spokesperson for the Forest plant.
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In Colruyt, rapid tests are used, but only in order to trace any possible cluster, explained Nathalie Roisin, the spokesperson for the group. According to the latter, the intentions of the Consultative Committee were still too vague and the question arises as to whether the large-scale distribution sector should be recognized as a risk sector.
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“If the authorities demand a rapid test, we will organize it, but there are still a lot of questions from an organization, funding and supply point of view.”
Jean-Luc Claes
Director of the legal department of the Raffinerie tirlemontoise
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Need for clarity also on the side of the Raffinerie tirlemontoise where it is specified that the factories have been running continuously since March 2020 while ensuring that the staff work in a safe environment. “In the factory, if a small cluster is discovered, the occupational physician will organize a rapid test for this cluster”, specifies Jean-Luc Claes, director of the legal department. “If the authorities demand a rapid test, we will organize it, but there are still many questions from an organization, funding and supply point of view.”
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Roel Dekelver, le porte-parole de Delhaize, said nothing else. Rapid tests are available if a cluster is detected, but it still remains too much blur compared to generalized rapid testing. On the side of the Sabca, tests are currently carried out on an ad hoc basis, in particular when workers return from abroad. At this stage, there is no systematic policy. Same at UCB where, as elsewhere, teleworking remains the norm. In case of doubt, workers are sent to external testing centers. Finally, at ING, as in other banks, we explain that we are considering the possibility of having these rapid tests.
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