Spain: Seat to test its 15,000 employees for Covid-19 before resuming production

Volkswagen Group’s Spanish car producing subsidiary Seat, has announced it will carry out mass screening of its assembly line staff. Testing will be carried out gradually at a rate of 3,000 per week in line with the rate of business resumption, which has been shut down since 16 March following the declaration of a state of emergency and the nationwide lockdown of the country. The company plans to recommence production from 27 April, starting with a third of its usual activity. The 3,000 employees initially returning to work will undergo PCR tests before entering the site. The president of the WC has stated acceptance of the measure ‘in the name of workers’ safety’. Those detected as positive will be placed on sick leave. The test will be compulsory for all employees who work on an assembly line and who work in close proximity to their colleagues. For all other employees, PCR testing will be voluntary. Test results will be anonymous and confidential and will also serve as the basis for a scientific study. Screening will be accompanied by the distribution of masks, disinfection services and all the preventive measures provided for in the protocol established for the automotive sector.