The UK Government has reversed its initial plans and now included wholesalers supplying the public sector, foodservice and retail industries in the ‘pingdemic’ exemption scheme, with the Federation of Wholesale Distrubitors (FWD) calling it “great news” for the food supply chain.
The scheme allowing key workers to avoid self-isolation in England has been expanded after disapproval that it did not go far enough, with wholesalers, Police, fire, Border Force, transport and freight staff all now able to join a daily workplace test scheme, whether they are vaccinated or not.
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Speaking on BBC News, chief executive of the FWD James Bielby said: “Knowing that we’re in scope is really, really great because it means that businesses which have been affected by the pandemic can actually plan for colleagues that have gone off. Whereas previously, if someone had been pinged, they might have had a whole team of team of people suddenly wiped out, which would have made it really difficult to plan the supply of food and drink over the next two to three weeks.”
