20 January 2022
Hon. Dorothy Shephard, Minister of Health
HSBC Place
P. O. Box 5100
Fredericton, NB E3B 5G8
Via email: dorothy.shephard@gnb.ca
Dear Minister Shephard:
Re: Small Business Rapid Testing Program
As you know, chambers of commerce throughout New Brunswick have been the distribution hub for connecting small businesses and not-for-profit organizations with rapid testing tests since June 2021. With the shift in COVID-19 testing strategy that the provincial government implemented on 4 January 2022, the chamber program has significantly changed to reflect current policy. With the benefit of two weeks of observing the current rapid testing program and receiving feedback from participants, we wish to draw your attention to two specific matters regarding the program and government policy.
First, the government’s policy dictates that while tests are distributed based on the number of employees, tests obtained by businesses or organizations through the chamber program must remain at the place of work and not be sent home with employees. Therefore, the tests that we distribute would only be used in cases where an employee comes to work healthy and develops symptoms while at work. If they develop symptoms outside of working hours, they are told to use the public system and book an appointment to receive a rapid test.
A change in this policy would enable the program to operate more efficiently and help achieve the stated goal of keeping employees working as much as possible. Under the current system, one of two things happens when employees develop symptoms at home:
- They book an appointment through the regular GNB system, which generally takes a day or two; or
- They avoid losing a day or two of work by presenting at work with symptoms and asking for a rapid test there – potentially bring COVID-19 into the workplace.
Even if the regular GNB system was working at its maximum capacity, employees are losing some amount of time from work unnecessarily when they could easily test at home with their 3 test-per-month allotment.
Second (and requiring a more fundamental change to policy), is the policy to only use rapid tests for those individuals under 50 (or those not fully vaccinated). It appears the primary benefit to requiring those over 50 to get a PCR test is follow-up from Public Health, based on those over 50 more likely to have worse symptoms. In our opinion, vaccinated individuals over 50 should have discretion to use a rapid test versus a PCR test and self-monitor for worsening symptoms.
Again, this would take pressure off of the public PCR testing regime and allow government to divert resources to where they are needed most. It would also allow more employees to return to work much quicker if people over 50 had the option of using rapid tests. The priority should be getting tests into people’s hands as quickly as possible when needed.
Now that we are nearly two years into the pandemic and related Public Health restrictions, many businesses are reaching the brink of financial disaster. While the Province’s Small Business Recovery Program will help some – there is no replacement for being open and ready to do business and any policy-based assistance they can get from the government would be greatly appreciated. Having an employee miss a day or two of work unnecessarily is exacerbating an already untenable situation – particularly for those businesses that are required to shut their doors under Level 3 restrictions of GNB’s Winter Plan.
Small businesses throughout the pandemic have done everything that has been asked of them and more. Now during the slow winter months when every day and every dollar counts, we are back into lockdown and for many, this means again being cut off from doing business and providing for their families. Anxieties are very high amongst the business community currently and business owners are making decisions based on desperation – they could use some good news and quick action from government on this file. Program participants have told us that the ease of our program and the province’s rapid testing program was a rare bright spot in 2021 and we are certain they would appreciate the government making these two policy tweaks as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Krista Ross, CEO, Fredericton Chamber of Commerce
John Wishart, CEO, Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton
David Duplisea, CEO, Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce
cc: Hon. Blaine Higgs, Premier, Province of New Brunswick
cc: Dr. Jennifer Russell, Chief Medical Officer of Health, Province of New Brunswick
cc: Rene Boudreau, Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Health
cc: Jennifer Elliot, Executive Director. COVID-19 Response Team (Unit), Department of Health
cc: Dale Esson, Senior Program Advisor, COVID Response Team, Department of Health
