30,000 self-tests have already been distributed free of charge in companies in Monaco
In the hall of the management of the Louis-II stadium, the representative of a large Monegasque hotel came to collect 84 boxes of self-tests. The equivalent of 420 units. “They are ordered several times a month to test staff regularly. VSone ended up being expensive. “ Several hundred (or even thousands) of euros, depending on the number of employees to be tested.
A budget. And this, while the hotel and catering sector is not spared by the economic impact of the 5e wave of Covid-19. The operation launched by the main government is therefore a boon for both large and small employers in the country.
Four appointments every 5 minutes
Since January 3, the Monegasque state has embarked on a massive screening campaign at all levels of society *. Some 50,000 self-tests have been ordered to be distributed free of charge to administrations and employees in the private sector.
For the latter, the distribution was opened on Tuesday, January 4 at 2 p.m. At the rate of four appointments every 5 minutes, “125 companies came to withdraw their self-tests Tuesday afternoon, 266 Wednesday and 131 Thursday “, details Cyrielle Orecchia, person in charge of the personnel at the direction of the Louis-II stadium, in charge of organizer of the distribution.
After the rush of the first few days, the requests received via the dedicated teleservice (To request your self-tests, go to: https://teleservice.gouv.mc/distribution-autotests-entreprises/, editor’s note) are transformed almost in real time. “The objective is to offer an appointment quickly so that employers can organize screening as soon as possible “ and break the chains of contamination.
The profile of the applicants? “Construction companies, hotels, shops, liberal professions, real estate agencies, insurance companies, hairdressers… “ In short, all the economic sectors of the country.
“Only one request per employer is accepted, recalls Cyrielle Orecchia. Several people have already asked us if they will be entitled to a second order. At the moment, we have no such information. “
It is then up to the companies to organize the distribution of the self-tests to their employees. “We have three people who are not vaccinated within our teams. These self-tests are especially for them “, explains the secretary of a company in Fontvieille. The only government directive: screening must be done on a voluntary basis.
This Tuesday evening, 714 employers were able to benefit from the operation, or 29,855 self-tests distributed.
* The school environment (students of all levels and teaching and non-teaching staff) learned self-tests from the first day of the start of the 2022 school year.