Total of 84% of firms ready to launch testing before March

As many as 84 percent of Czech companies intended to launch on-site self-testing of their employees on March 1, that is before the government decided to introduce mandatory testing at firms, according to a survey conducted by the Confederation of Industry among 211 firms before the Monday government meeting.

According to the decision made by the government on Monday night, businesses with 250+ staff are obliged to test all their employees as of March 3, and testing at firms with 50 to 249 employees should begin on March 8. "Czech industrial firms are aware of the seriousness of the current situation. This is why 84 percent of companies regardless of their size had decided to launch self-testing of their employees at a time when mandatory testing was not being planned yet," confederation head Jaroslav Hanak said.

As many as 45 percent of companies had had their employees tested at medical facilities under the former rules that allowed only trained medical staff to perform the tests. Many companies did so at their own expenses. One quarter of these companies said they encountered with insufficient capacities of the medical facilities. Two-fifths of respondents said they had been ready to start self-testing before the government decision, with three-quarters of them waiting until the government allows it.

Two-thirds of industrial enterprises agree with on-site testing being mandatory. The state plans to contribute Kc60 per test to companies. According to the survey, 84 percent of firms consider this compensation too low as test prices are higher.

Source: ČTK